


















^^^ 









•i 










rO- 



^^0^ 



^^ .:^ 






'^^0^ 



e^o^ - 



^ -^^0^ ^* 



o°\\ 



^ <^ 









.^^ 






^^, 






o,^' 



j^ ^ = ^> -J; . 



v^^ 










1 ^0^ " 



Q./^o\> ^^,,.„^ -^^ 



^^.=^^^V 
















.N^ 






VV- Nj' 









•'o , X 










-^'V 



.#' 














r=X,^^ 






"^^0^ 



^ aC> ^ "/;, s^ A<^^ <v ■ 






.^ ^ 



•"l/ .-^JK 












V^ . 



'%, 






^ O ^ -^ _ '^^ /-. r S3 ft ', ' 



- » -J » -i -0,1' ^ '-', 

V ^ ^ ' / -% " ' ' 



















Colonel Winfield T. Durbin. 



HISTORY 



OF THI-: 



One Hundred and Sixtj-lirst 



REGIMENT 



INDIANA VOLUNTEER INFANTRY 



By 
W. E. BIEDERVV/OLK 

CHAPLAIN OF THE REGIMENT 



1899: 

WILSOX, HUMPHREYS & CO. 

LOGANSPORT, IND. 






38106 



Entered accordinz to the Act o£ Congress, in the year 1S99, in the office of 

the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C, 

by W. E. Biederwolf. 



tiV 



C3 coPl^a f^eCEJVED, 







/ 



6^5 



jBdicatinn. 



s/ 



Ta the 

this ^ork 

is Sinccrdi) gcdtratcd 

by their friend. 

The QIhn;jbiit. 



PRBKACE. 



A preface is not an apology; a book that needs an 
apology ought never be written. Every man of a regi- 
ment is a part of its life, and to be a soldier is an experi- 
ence that comes to most men but once and makes an 
important chapter in the history of every man thus priv- 
ileged. Who, that was there, can ever forget the life we 
led together; our camps, our marches, our reviews, the life 
of a day and the evening till taps! These will be remem- 
bered without a written history, but there are offices which 
only a written record can fulfill; that of acquainting the 
regiment's friends with the history so familiar to its mem- 
bers and of furnishing exact historical and numerical data, 
the value of which increases with time, and the perusal of 
which, when memory is less distinct, will make it all hap- 
pen again as it did in '98 and '99. The preparation of such 
a work is no easy task, and all the more difficult when the 
author has kept no diary or chronicle of events. The 
information herein contained has been gathered from every 
available source, but every detail fully verified before giv- 
ing it place in these pages. For the hearty co-operation of 
his fellow officers the fullest appreciation is here expressed 
by him who has undertaken this work. Some have ren- 
dered a material aid without which the present value of the 
book would have been impossible. Special acknowledg- 
ment is due to Lieutenant Goodrich for his share in the 
preparation of the Savannah chapter, and to Dr. George 
B. Jones for like service in the section devoted to the med- 
ical department. Special thanks are also due to Captain 



lO PREFACE. 

W. T. Stott and to Lieutenants Patton, Welch and Owens, 
and also to Private E. M. Blake of Company K. 

In producing the company roster such as adhered to 
the form given them will show first the original roster 
in so far as promotions would allow, it being equally desir- 
able to present in due form the roll of officers as they 
appeared at the date of mustering out. Where cuts are 
missing, it is simply because parties failed to furnish them 
after repeated solicitation, or because they were not to be 
had, which was the case with several among the dead. 
A few photos were poor, but the best possible was done 
with them. With the hope that this volume will bring 
pleasant reminders to all it is sent to press. 

W. E. BIEDERWOLF, 

Chaplain i6ist I. V. I. 
Monticello, Indiana, June i, 1899. 



iisriDBzx:. 



Chapter I— Organization 1" 

Chapter II— Camp Mount 23 

Chapter III— En Route to Jacksonville 48 

Chapter IV— Camp Cuba Libre, August 14, '98-September 30, '98. . . 60 

Chapter V— Camp Cuba Libre, October 1-23, '98 78 

Chapter V I— Camp Onward 91 

Chapter VII— Havana to Camp Columbia 115 

Chapter VIII— Camp Columbia, December 17, •98-January 31, '99.. . 125 

Chapter IX— Camp Columbia, February 1, '99-March 31, '99 151 

Chapter X— The Departure, Voyage and Arrival 182 

Chapter XI— Mustering Out Month, Camp Homeward 193 

First Battalion— K, M, A, E 231 

Second Battalion— B, I, F, D 287 

Third Battalion— C, G, H, L 345 

Medical Department 405 

History of the Medical Department 410 

Regimental Band "^25 

Roster of Regimental Band 428 

Organization of Regimental Band 429 

Bugle and Drum Corps ^"^^ 

Roster of Bugle and Drum Corps 431 



Roll of Honor. 



435 



History of ^ Company A '^'^'' 

Roster of Company A 2b i 

History of Company B ^^^4 

Roster of Company B 298 

History of Company C '^'^'^ 

Roster of Company C ^"^ 

History of Company D '^"^ 

Roster of Company D '^'^^ 

History of Company E '^ *^ 

Roster of Company E 

History of Company F '^-"^ 

Roster of Company F f'^ 

History of Company G ' _ _ 

Roster of Company G f''^ 

History of Company H _ 

Roster of Company H "^^^ 



12 INDEX. 

History of Company I ;j06 

Roster of Company 1 311 

History of Company K 289 

Roster of Company K 241 

History of Company L 396- 

Roster of Company L 398 

History of Company M 250- 

Roster of Company M 255 



PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Anderson, James L 393 

Anheire, Anthony A 304 

Backus, Victor M 282 

Biederwolf, William E 225 

Brown, Denver 444 

Brunt, John R 222 

Buchanan, Richard W 331 

Caldwell, George H 388 

Crooker, William W 278 

Comstock, Paul 817 

Cosby, Charles E. 335 

Dexter, Jacob W 447 

Dority, Charles E 395 

Drapier, William H 319. 

Durbin, Winfield T 216 

Durbin, Fletcher M 262 

Durbin, W. T., and Staff 21 

Espey, James E 417 

Everson, Charles 447 

Fitch, George W 249- 

Fortune, James W 272 

Gerrish, Millard F 408 

Goodrich, George E 350 

Gould, Andrew 450 

Graham, Alonzo M 449 

Guthrie, William 303 

Gwinn, James M 880 

Hudgins, Thomas J 349' 

Jackson, Cyrus A 382 

Johnson, August H. W 261 



INDEX. 13 

Kepperlins^, George ... 443 

Kimmel, Elmer E 318 

Kuns, Clarence D 441 

Lewis, John J 440 

Megrew, Harold C 288 

Menzies, Winston 290 

Meyers, James I 368 

Mount, James A 44 

McCauley, Edward A 274 

Ogborn, Albert D 366 

Olds, Lee M 346 

Owens, Temple H 238 

Parkhurst, Layton M 333 

Patton, Henry B 381 

Peterson, Eli W • 394 

Pittman, Charles M 369 

Puhlman, Ernest R 439 

Reynolds, Ivy L 352 

Saltzgaber, Baird G 19 

Silverthorne, George M 260 

Smith, Charles C 237 

Smith, Will M 322 

Smith, Wickliff 406 

Starr, W. Thompson 19 

Stille, Henry 443 

Stivers, Wallace D 442 

Stott, Wilfred T 236 

Tichenor, Oliver M 220 

Trimble, Charles 448 

Turner, Joseph F 446 

Ward, John R 305 

Weaver, William G 445 

Welch, Percy 293 

West, George A 248 

Williams, Asa E 292 

Williams, Ernest S 426 

Wilson, James 410 

Company A 264 

Non-Commissioned Officers 266 

Company B 295 

Non-Commissioned Officers 297 

Company C 355 

Non-Commissioned Officers 3^''' 



14 INDEX. 

Company D 334 

Sergeants 336 

Corporals 338 

Company E 276 

Sergeants '278 

Corporals 280 

Company F 321 

Sergeants 323 

Corporals 325 

Company G 370 

Sergeants 372 

Corporals 374 

Company H 384 

Sergeants 386 

Corporals 388 

Company 1 307 

Non-Commissioned Officers 309 

Company K 289 

Sergeants 242 

Corporals 244 

Company L 397 

Sergeants 399 

Corporals 401 

Company M 251 

Non-Commissioned Officers 253 

A Cuban Camp 122 

A Mixed Race 146 

Backus Garbage Burner 73 

Barb W ire Defense 123 

Barn — Camp Cuba Libre 65 

Bastile — Camp Cuba Libre 229 

Block House 124 

Bonaventure 104 

Bugle and Drum Corps 432 

Camp Airing 172 

Camp Columbia 139 

Company G Street by Moonlight 175 

Company Street in Camp Cuba Libre 61 

Commissary — Camp Cuba Libre 62 

Cuban Plowman 147 



INDEX. I i; 

Fatigue Duty — Camp Mount '_'4 

Fumigated Gloves IHI 

Going Aboard Transport " Mobile " 108 

Going on Board the " Logan " 185 

Government Warehouse at Quemados 16& 

Graves 4o7 

Guard Mount — Camp Columbia 39 

Hangman's Tree 178 

Headquarters — Camp Onward 92 

Human Bone Yard 160 

Kangaroo Court 198 

Live Curios 184 

"Logan" 186 

Medical Officers and Helpers 420 

Midway 170 

" Mobile "—Off for Cuba 109 

Monument 143 

Morro Castle Ill 

Next 176 

Off for the Mail 171 

Packing Up — Camp Onward 106 

Passing in Review — New Year's Day 135 

Post Exchange at Camp Onward SS- 

Prisoners Cleaning Camp 138 

Regimental Band 427 

Regimental Hospital at Camp Columbia 141 

Relieving the Guard — Camp Mount 27 

Ruined Estate 148 

San Jose Espigon (Wharf) 183 

Sea-Sickness on the " Logan " 187 

Second Battalion, Skirmish Drill— Camp Cuba Libre 85 

Sentinel on Duty— Camp Cuba Libre 71 

Soupee! Soupeel Soup! Soup! 136 

Storm Scene at Third Division Hospital 79 

The Maine Graves 158 

The Way Mother Used to Do 137 

Vento Springs 167 

Wagon Train on its Way to Camp 113 

Waiting for the Train— Camp-Breaking at Camp Cuba Libre 89 

Wreck of the " Maine " 166 



CHAPTER I. 



ORGANIZATION. 

The war with Spain was on in earnest; Manilla had 
fallen, several Spanish prizes had been taken at sea, and 
every preparation was being made for pushing a vigor- 
ous campaign into Cuba. Already two hundred thousand 
troops were in the service of the United States, when 
President McKinley, on the 2 5th day of May, 1898, issued a 
second call for seventy-five thousand more volunteers. Indi- 
ana could have furnished them all, but after her other regi- 
ments, with companies averaging eighty-six men each, had 
been recruited to their full quota of one hundred and six 
men it was her further privilege to furnish one full regi- 
ment and an additional two companies of colored men. 
There was at once the greatest competition and the great- 
est diligence on the part of influential friends to secure 
one of the twelve coveted places in the new regiment which, 
in order, was to be the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry. Letters poured in upon the gov- 
ernor from every corner of the state telling of companies 
formed and ready to move at notice, but desiring to give 
the congressional districts a somewhat equal representation 
in this matter the twelve companies now composing the 
regiment were selected. Of this selection the companies 
were notified by the governor on the 24th day of June. 
The original intention of bringing them to the capital, a 
company at a time, for examination was abandoned as the 
urgency of the hour demanded that all should come as soon 



1 8 HISTORY OF THE 

as possible. Accordingly all companies were ordered to 
repair at once to the state fair-grounds at Indianapolis. 
The first company, " H, " reported at 12:40 June 30. The 
others in quick order, Company " I" entering the grounds 
last at 4:30, July 5th. 

The man whom Governor Mount had chosen to be colo- 
nel was Winfield T. Durbin, of Anderson. He was sitting 
in the factory of the Diamond Paper Company, of which he 
was at that time general manager, when he was 'phoned 
from Indianapolis by Colonel Charles E. Wilson, military 
secretary to Governor Mount, asking him to come at once 
to the capital. Upon his arrival he was informed by Sec- 
retary Wilson of the governor's desire. It was his first 
intimation of such a decision and the following day (Sunday) 
he called at the governor's home and there gave his prom- 
ise to lead the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana to its 
destiny in the conflict then on. 

Doctor Wickliff Smith, of Delphi, was called to the 
position of surgeon, and Drs. Milliard F. Gerrish, of Sey- 
mour, and James Wilson, of Wabash, were chosen assistant 
surgeons. The surgeons were examined by the State 
Board of Medical Examinations, Friday, 24th, and were the 
first of the officers to be mustered into the service (June 
25th) as it was essential to begin at once the physical ex- 
amination of the men. Every man had been required to 
pass one, and the majority two, similar examinations at the 
place of his enlistment, but the final and more severe test 
of acceptance was to be made by the regimental surgeons 
themselves. The examinations began Tuesday, July 5th, 
and lasted eleven days, the highest number of men exam- 
ined in any one day being two hundred and eighty-six. 
This examination resulted in a further rejection of fourteen 
per cent, of the men, and gave to the state as sound and 
as healthy a body of soldiers as ever volunteered their serv- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



19 



ice. The following statistics, taken toward the close of 
their period of service and read in their presence by the 
colonel at regimental review, will be of interest and may be 
appropriately inserted here as the regimental makeup was 
in general the same throughout its period of service. 

The average age was twenty-six. The average height 
was five feet eight inches. The average weight was one 
hundred and forty-nine pounds. Two hundred and ninety- 
six were farmers, one hundred and eighteen were clerks, 
three hundred and sixty-two were common laborers, four 
hundred and thirteen were skilled laborers, forty-seven 
were professional men, twenty-five were merchants; 
twelve hundred and sixty-five were American born, fifty- 
four foreign; one hundred and twenty-eight were married 
and eleven hundred and ninety-one were single. 

On June 28th Baird G. Saltzgaber, of Lebanon, Indi- 
ana, a recent graduate of Wabash College and former 




Baird G. Saltzgaber. 



W. Thompson Starr. 
graduate of Kenyon Military Academy, was mustered as 
quartermaster sergeant, and on July 5th W. Thompson 
Starr, of Richmond, Indiana, class of '98, Michigan Mili- 



20 HISTORY OF THE 

tary Academy, Orchard Lake, Michigan, was mustered as 
regimental sergeant major. 

On July I ith, at 4:30 p. m. , four companies, A, B, C, 

D, each member of whom had signed the muster-in roll, 
were mustered. On the same date Harold C. Megrew. of 
Indianapolis, was mustered as major and Oliver M. Tich- 
enor, of Princeton, as first lieutenant and regimental adju- 
tant. The following day, July 12th, four other companies, 

E, F, G, H, were mustered and the remaining companies, 
I, K, L, M, on the succeeding day, July 13th. 

There was some unavoidable delay in the appointment 
of Matt R. Peterson as major. The position had been 
tendered Lieutenant Bundy, of the Third Infantry, who was 
at that time with his regiment at Santiago, Cuba. Being 
impossible to await his reply, owing to the destruction of 
the cables, it became necessary to make another appoint- 
ment, which was given to First Lieutenant M. R. Peterson, of 
the Sixth United States Infantry, who was at that time on 
duty in the quartermaster department at Indianapolis. 
Lieutenant Waterman, of the Eighth United States Cav- 
alry, who was the United States mustering officer, refused 
to muster the regiment as a whole until such appointment 
was made. Accordingly, on July 15th, in the evening 
about 6:30 o'clock, the whole regiment was massed to the 
east of the Administration Hall and in the presence of 
numerous friends and visitors who were there to witness 
the ceremony. Colonel Durbin and such of his staff as had 
not yet taken the oath were mustered into the service of 
the United States. Besides the colonel there was Victor 
M. Backus, of Indianapolis, who was mustered as lieuten- 
ant-colonel, and William E. Biederwolf, of Logansport. 
who was mustered as chaplain. This completed the roll 
oi staff officers with the exception of John R. Brunt, of 
Anderson, who had been mustered as first lieutenant and 



n 

o 
r 
o 
z 

M 

r 

O 
a 
?o 
a 

z 

> 
z 

o 

w 

H 
> 




22 HISTORY OF THE 

quartermaster on June 30th, in order that he might begin 
officially the administration of his required and urgent 
duties. 

It will not he out of place to have here said by one 
who came in closest daily contact with the men and who 
learned to know their individual history and character, 
that the quality of the regiment was exceptionally fine. 
The men occupying the most responsible positions were 
men of experience and of the best caliber, and the official 
body as a whole may be safely characterized as one _of 
exceptional character and capacity. Among the enlisted 
men were hundreds belonging to Indiana's best families; 
young men of learning, of profession, of wealth and of 
social standing, and while in any and every such body of 
twelve hundred men there is much and much-to-be-regret- 
ted immoral conduct, 3'et the recoid of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana during the time of it^ servi:e shows 
it to be a regiment of unusual high moral character for a 
military organization. 



CHAPTER II. 



CAMP MOUNT. 



June 30, '98 — August 11, '98. 

The State Fair ground was admirably adapted as a 
place for holding the regiment during the completion of its 
organization and preparation to report for duty wherever 
sent. Headquarters and the dispensary were established in 
the administration hall and here for many days was a rush 
of business of a character such as the place had never seen 
before. The fine art building was used as the commissary 
and quartermaster department and one of the pavilions 
near by as a shelter for the guard. 

To each company as it reported was assigned one of 
the large stock buildings. The two colored companies, A 
and B, commanded by Captains Jacob M. Porter and John 
j. Buckner, who, by the way, were the first colored captains 
ever commissioned, were sheltered in the barns nearest the 
main entrance to the grounds. 

The companies were, for convenience at the first, lettered 
according to the order of their arrival; they were met at the 
entrance by Lieutenant-Colonel Backus, who escorted them 
to their quarters, and at once, or as soon as possible there- 
after, they were in line at the quartermaster's department 
for some of the articles such as would be immediately 
necessary for the new mode of life into which they were 
then to be initiated. 

They were given axes and spades and picks and rakes 
and wondered what it meant; then to each company were 



24 



HISTORY OF THE 



also issued one hundred and six blankets, meat-cans, knives, 
forks, spoons, tin-cups, two Meyers cooking ranges with 




Fatigue Duty. 

utensils complete, one cord of wood, and one day's rations. 
Some of the companies had a little of camp experience at 
home, sleeping in barns taking a few meals picnic style, 
and more from the well loaded tables of their towns 
people, but when they opened those marvelous double- 
sided, self-sealing meat-cans to receive their first army 
cooked food and looked into the depths of those del- 
icate quart coffee cups, washed their own tin-dishes, 
made up their own beds of boards and straw, then they 
knew they were soldiers; and so for twenty-six days they 
lived together, twelve large families in twelve large barns. 
Here were formed the first impressions of something, but 
only something, of what army life really was. Here the 
rich and poor, the college graduate, the mechanic, the 
laborer and the fellow who was " doin' nothin " touched 
elbows at night and here were formed many of those 
friendships such as hallow the memory of ever}' war. The 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 2$ 

work of the hour was the examination of the men. Each 
company was sent to the creek for a bath and then in 
squads of twenty reported up stairs in the administration 
building for the ordeal. Every one knew pretty well his 
chances from the previous like experience, and many a one 
stood before the scrutiny of the merciless surgeons and for- 
got their nakedness for the fear and trembling that was in 
them. And the ordeal was severe. The surgeons looked 
right into them. A man must be all there: of course there 
are always exceptions; the fellow with one toe c//V/ get in; 
they said "you can't run, suppose we have to retreat what 
will become of you ".^ "Run, " he said, "you ought to see 
me; me and some more stirred a hornet's nest yesterday, 
and I beat the hull of them out of the woods." And the 

fellow who could'nt read got in: he said " ," and he 

forgot himself when he said it for he said it in an awful 
way, "I did'nt come here to teach school, I came here to 
fight." However the fellow in the regiment with a glass 
eye — but we promised not to mention it for you know 
science is very perfect these days, and a fellow can see 
through a glass eye about as well as he can through a 
good one. Most companies came with more than the re- 
quired number of men, and after one out of seven had been 
rejected the average strength of the companies was ninety- 
six. New recruits came in from time to time and the 
companies left Camp Mount with an average strength of 
one hundred and four. 

As fast as the men were examined attention was turned 
to the preparation of the rolls for "muster in;" a hercu- 
lean task, to do it correctly and neatly, as the best and 
most careful penman from each company will most cer- 
tainly testify. 

While such steps were being taken preparatory to the 
complete regimental organization, the men were not idle; 



26 HISTORY OF THE 

they spent one-half hour each morning and evening doing 
the setting-up exercise and marched out of their barns 
every day at 7:30 a. m. , 11 A. m. and 4 P. m., and spent 
one hour in the evolutions of squad and company drill. 
The colonel, however, at once ordered all drills to be con- 
fined exclusively to squad drill; in those early executions 
one would hardly have recognized the crack steppers of the 
Seventh Army Corps. To their last day the boys will hear 
the "left, right; one, two; hepp, hepp; unc, anc," and al- 
though the drill leaders had not as yet learned to spell 
" March" with an initial " h," nor to put the Spanish on the 
last syllable of "Attention," they did their best in pure 
English and the men did their best and it was this doing 
their best and the excellent Esprit dc corps of the entire 
body that brought them to the enviable position they later 
enjoyed in the Seventh Army Corps. 

They were only " boys in blue " in name for the uni- 
forms were not yet issued and the single outfit they brought 
along soon had the appearance of a " Weary Willie " cos- 
tume, and on July 10 many of the boys had a most excel- 
lent excuse for not coming to church to hear the Chaplain 
preach his first sermon in the great grandstand by the race 
track. But this could scarcely be called their hardest trial; 
it was rather when sJie came down on the Sunday excur- 
sions to see him once more before he left. He hoped she 
would excuse his appearance and tried to explain to her 
something about the "channels" through which the new 
suits had to come. He never turned his back upon her 
then and when he said good-bye he backed away; anyhow 
those were happy Sundays with their home friends and 
their heavy baskets; the soldiers remember them; the sur- 
geons remember the Monday mornings sick call. 

On the ist day of July, when five companies only had 
arrived, the first guard was posted by Lieutenant Crooker. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



'■7 



There were five posts and three reHefs, and the men were 
armed with hickory clubs. Later the guard was increased 
and were armed with the old-time f^uns of the National 
Guard brought from the state house, and each company, 




Relieving the Guard. 

commencing with Company B, took its turn in doing guard 
duty, the chief service of which was to keep at bay the 
venders of sweetmeats and pies, the arrest of whisky 
smugglers and guard-line runners. 

It's an old saying that whisky is easy to get. Well, 
it was. It was captured, quart after quart, and turned 
over to the surgeons for use in the medical department. 
One scoundrel was brought in — yes, he did have a bottle 
for a friend who ordered it. Lieutenant-Colonel Backus 
found it difficult to locate that particular bottle, for, in 
searching the fellow, he found eight others — nine bottles on 
one man. The Colonel was indignant; he would show the 
fellow some military discipline; forthwith he and his three 
pals were lodged in the guard-house for the night, where 
they stayed — until they took a notion to climb out. 



28 HISTORY OF THE 

Of course the guards had to be tested; they must 
learn never to surrender their gun, not even to the colonel; 
but it was just as one poor crestfallen darkey guard, who 
had surrendered his gun, said to the ofBcer of the guard: 
"He done won my confidence, sah," and it was a rather 
imderhanded and merciless way to do; but it isn't generally 
known that the colonel was held up one night till the next 
relief came on; the calls did not work that night; neither 
corporal, sergeant nor of^cer of the guard came, and the 
colonel — well, he waited. The men were there for a pur- 
pose and they knew it, although there were some things 
they all as yet could not be expected to know, for instance: 
Stranger approaching — "Are you a sentinel, sir?" 
Company A man on guard — "No, I am a Swede." 
Such was life amid the busy scenes of those first days 
of Camp Mount until the regiment was ready for muster, 

July 15- 

The following day, July i6. Colonel Durbin issued the 
first general order of the regiment, a copy of which is here 
inserted. An important document to the compliance with 
the admirable tone of which is greatly due the standard 
afterward attained by the regiment under his command, 
and which contains regimental data of special interest for 
officers and men. 

Headquarters i6ist Reg. Ind. Vol. Inf. 
Camp Mount, Indianapolis, 

July i6, 1898. 

General Order No. i. 

Congratulating the officers and men of the One Hun- 
dred and Sixty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry 
upon having passed and received the approval of the 
Examining Board and mustering officer, and imposing the 
fullest confidence in the officers and men, the following is 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 29 

published for the information and f^uidance of all concerned: 

Obedience and proper respect to the superior officers 
are the first requirements of a soldier. An officer in any 
grade in command should and must receive the same 
obedience and respect as though he be of the highest grade. 
Fidelity to duty, with zeal and energy, is none the less a 
requisite. 

In the present war, to create armies and make soldiers 
of men in the shortest time is the aim of those in control. 
Therefore, in order that the highest state of efficiency may 
be attained, it will be expected of you that you should at 
once and at all times call forth your best energies, and let 
it be the effort of each and every one, of whatever station, 
to have it said of him, "duty well done." 

All authority should be exercised with firmness, de- 
corum and, above all, impartiality, and authority should be 
respected by implicit obedience and loyal support from 
subordinates. Let it be the aim of each and every one to 
labor earnestly to perfect himself in military drill, in- 
structions and discipline. 

It will be necessary, and one of the first cares, to pre- 
serve health, and as your commanding officer I enjoin upon 
officers and men to look well to preserving your present 
physical condition, which is evidenced to be good by 
reason of your acceptance by the surgeons and mustering 
officer. Going into a hot climate, as we doubtless will, it 
will be necessary to the preservation of health to abstain 
from the use of intoxicating drinks. 

Let your aim be at all times to be prepared for duty 
by presenting yourself in your best physical condition, with- 
out impairment of body or intellect produced by any article 
that will weaken or impair. Let your stimulants be a 
pride in the perfectness of your bodies, and a zeal and 



30 



HISTORY OF THE 



energ}' to become the best regiment not only from our own 
state, but any other state. 

It is expected of you, and is due the government which 
you serve, that we will do nothing that will interfere with 
all the requirements demanded of us. 

2. The letter designations of companies is as follows: 

Captain Lee M. Olds, Company A. * 
Captain Winston Menzies, Company B. 
Captain Thomas J. Hudgins, Company C. 
Captain Charles E. Crosby, Company D. 
Captain Louis C. Baird, Company E. 
Captain William M. Smith, Company F. 
Captain Albert D. Ogborn, Company G. 
Captain James M. Gwinn, Company H. 
Captain William Guthrie, Company I. 
Captain Wilford T. Stott, Company K. 
Captain James L. Anderson, Company L. 
Captain George A. West, Company M. 

The relative rank of all commissioned officers of the 
same grade corresponds to the designation by letter of their 
companies, those of Company A being senior, and through 
regular gradation by letter to Company M, its officers being 
junior. For instance, the captain, first and second lieu- 
tenants of Company A will be the seniors in rank in their 
grade in the regiment, and those of Company M the juniors. 

Precedence of non-commissioned officers of the same 
grade and the same relative positions in a grade will, like- 
wise, be determined. 

For instance, the first, second, third, etc., sergeants 
of Company A will be senior in rank to the first, second, 
third, etc., of other companies, but the third sergeant of 
Company A will not be senior in rank to the second ser- 
geant of any other company. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 3[ 

3. The following assignment of companies to battal- 
ions is hereby announced: 

First Battalion, Companies A, E, K, M. 
Second Battalion, Companies B, D, F, I. 
Third Battalion, Companies C, G, H, L. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Victor M. Backus, Major Harold 
C. Megrew and Major Matt. R. Peterson, One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, are assigned to 
the command of the First, Second and Third Battalions re- 
spectively. They will be obeyed and respected accordingly. 

Battalion commanders are authorized to appoint their 
commissioned and non-commissioned staff officers, with the 
approval of the regimental commander. 

4. On and after the 17th inst. , officers' school will be 
established and held daily, Saturdays and Sundays ex- 
cepted, from 3:15 P. M. to 4:15 P. M. Officers' call will be 
sounded at 3:05 p. m., at which time all officers not excused 
by regimental commander will repair to regimental head- 
quarters. 

5. On and after the 17th inst. non-commissioned of- 
ficers' school will -be held daily from 8:45 a. m. to 9:45 a. 
M., at such places as company commanders may designate. 
The instruction of each company will be under the super- 
vision of company commanders, and all company officers 
and non-commissioned officers not excused by the regi- 
mental commander will be required to attend. School call 
will be sounded at 8:35 a. m. 

6. All drills, until further orders, will be squad drills. 
Battalion commanders will see that this order is strictly en- 
forced. 

7. The verbal appointment of John R. Brunt, first 
lieutenant and quartermaster One Hundred and Sixty-first 



32 HISTORY OF THE 

Indiana Volunteer Infantry, to be acting ordnance officer 
of the regiment is hereby made of record. 

By order of Colonel Durbin. 

Oliver M. Tichenor, 
ist Lieut, and Adjutant i6ist Ind. \'ol. Inf. 

It will be noticed by the order of companies herein 
mentioned that the company from Hammond, commanded 
by Lee M. Olds, was made the ranking company of the 
regiment. No body of men worked harder than did the 
boys and officers of Company A. They were at it early 
and late and attained very speedily to the degree of excel- 
lency that characterized their work. Other companies as 
well were doing most excellent work, but the Mount Ver- 
non company was perhaps the one that made the Ham- 
mond boys work hardest for their distinction, and the 
earnest and pleasant rivalry resulted in a hard choice be- 
tween them. The four company commanders first mus- 
tered were called into the presence of Colonel Durbin and 
the battalion commanders. They were given the prefer- 
ence of choosing the ranking company themselves or leav- 
ing the decision to the committee before them. They pre- 
fered to abide by the decision of the latter, and the choice 
was accordingly made. At a meeting of all officers the 
following evening a like method was determined upon for 
fixing the rank of companies mustered on the 1 2th and i 3th. 

The first meeting of officers was held July 13th in the 
dispensary room of the headquarters building where Major 
Megrew, Captains Smith and Guthrie were appointed a 
committee to suggest some out-fitter's establishment for 
uniforms, etc. There was only one man in those days 
and his name was Pettibone. Accordingly Mr. Pettibone's 
agent was busy for weeks fitting (?) the officers out. 
Patience is a most excellent virture and the officers now 



ONE HUNDKEU AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 33 

had the most excellent opportunity for its display. They 
waited many weary weeks after those gilded coats and 
striped pants were due, and when they came, — to see those 
fits! The officers had to do something and not being pro- 
fane men, they had to laugh; they had a perfect fit of this. 
To see John R. Brunt poke his long arms through a Kaki 
that would quicker fit a Lilliputian — short sleeves perhaps 
intended for evening dress; — to see Victor M. Backus 
color up with blood as he tugged to squeeze himself on the 
inside of his — to see W. T. Durbin lose himself in his — and 
every one else look ridiculous — to see this would have made 
Pettibone himself laugh. In fact those were marvelous 
suits, self-fitting, warranted to fit anybody and lest any one 
who is in the distance heard the hilarious proceedings that 
lasted so long into the night of July 25th should form an 
unfavorable impression of our sobriety let it here be chron- 
icled that the officers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry were simply trying on the Pet- 
tibone suits. 

At a siniiliar meeting of officers the next day the colo- 
nel announced the first officers' school, which met on Mon- 
day, 1 8th, in the upstairs of the headquarters building. A 
few remarks were made by Colonel Durbin in which he 
designated Major Peterson as instructor. A typical school 
in which "Tactics " were explained, for which a man was 
supposed to study his lessons, at which the roll was called 
and which no officer could absent himself without a legiti- 
mate excuse. The officers always knew how to execute 
the movement in question with their men but could not tell 
in school just what command they would use to do it with. 
This was the one peculiar and mysterious feature. •• 

On Tuesday, July 19th, the first issue of clothing was 
made by the quartermaster and as fast as possible there- 
after the men were supplied from United States clothing 



34 HISTORV OF THE 

department. One can easily imagine the change that such 
change of garments made. The boys did really look taller, 
but it is doubtful if they looked as much taller as it seemed 
to them they were. On Wednesday, 20th, the first bat- 
talion formation was made by Major Megrew, commanding 
the Second Battalion. 

In the evening of the 21st the friends of Lieutenat- 
Colonel Backus presented him with a sword. Concerning 
that occasion the following is from the Indianapolis Senti- 
nel, of the 22nd of July: 

The porch of the headquarters at Camp Mount was 
the scene of a very pleasant gathering last evening on the 
occasion of the presentation of a sword to Lieutenant- 
Colonel Backus by a number of his friends in this city. It 
was filled with the officers of the regiment, and a number 
of ladies and gentlemen and a crowd of soldiers of the camp 
were gathered before it. 

Mr. Ben Webb and Mr. E. M. Johnson were the chief 
managers of the ceremony. The presentation speech was 
made by Mr. J. P. Dunn, who spoke as follows: 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Backus — We are come to 
tender to you a token of esteem for the past and a confidence 
for the future. A third of a century has passed away since 
the gloomy cloud of civil war lifted from our country, but 
time has not dimmed the memory of the glorious deeds 
that were done in that gigantic struggle. With us of Indi- 
ana and Illinois there is no part in the achievements of that 
war that is looked upon with higher pride than that borne 
by Wilder's brigade. The rest of the country does not 
know as we know the story of that flying swarm of the pio- 
neers of battle. We have listened with eager earnestness 
to the account of its brilliant victory at Hoover's gap. 
We have heard with breathless interest the story of its 
daring destruction of the supply depot at Decker, and its 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 35 

escape over the hills from the overwhelming Confederate 
force that came just too late for its protection. We have 
thrilled with excitement over the description of the un- 
looked-for attack on Chattanooga when Lilly's guns wak- 
ened the enemy from a sense of security. We have heard 
with quickened pulse the account of its stubborn fighting at 
Chickamauga, at Selma and at Macon. It is a wonderful 
story of wild raids and desperate chances taken — of riding 
by night and fighting by day — for there was little rest where 
John T. Wilder commanded. And we may well wish it 
were all recorded in permanent form that those who come 
after us may know it as we know it. Those who can re- 
count it are swiftly passing from our sight. It is but a few 
weeks since they laid to rest that true and tried soldier, 
John Fleming. But a little later this whole community 
bowed in sorrow at the announcement of the death of that 
peerless man — that knight errant in war and peace — 
Colonel Eli Lilly. Only this week you buried gallant Bill 
Bray — as brave a man as ever carried a musket in our 
army. And I can but think that there must have been 
great satisfaction to that grizzled veteran in his last days, 
when he heard how you, his youthful protege, the youngest 
soldier of the brigade, had given to Indiana the un- 
precedented honor of tendering the services of a full regi- 
ment of volunteers before the president's call was received. 
" But while we treasure these memories of the past, 
we rejoice that we have reached new times and new condi- 
tions. We glory in the knowledge of an united country, 
and we know that the blood now shed in battle against a 
foreign foe shall cement the hearts of all sections so that 
we shall be disunited no more forever. Surely our sol- 
diers shall march with quickened step and lighter heart be- 
cause America is all on one side and under one flag. We 
are one nation and one people. 



36 HISTORY OF THE 

" Lieutenant-Celonel Backus, I address you in behalf 
of 3'our fellow-citizens, your neighbors, your friends. We 
offer you this sword wdth unbounded confidence that it will 
never know dishonor. We know that if its blade shall be 
reddened it will be with the blood of the enemies of your 
country, shed in fair and honorable combat. We know 
that when it flashes in the charge it will be before the eyes 
of your men. We wish that when you grasp its hilt it 
shall bear the message to you that our hopes, our kindliest 
wishes and our prayers are with you and all your comrades 
who go to uphold the nation's honor. Some of you may 
not return. The enemy's arms or dread disease may leave 
you lifeless in the foreign lands. Some of you may return 
broken with sickness or with wounds. We hope for the 
best. We trust that God may deal kindly with you. We 
wish this sword to be with you in remembrance that what- 
ever may befall you, and all of you, shall be held by us in 
honor, in esteem and in affection, while we shall live." 

Lieutenant-Colonel Backus received the sword with 
evident emotion and briefly returned thanks to the donors. 
He said that he was certain that the regiment was the best 
one that had been sent out to the war. It had the best 
colonel, the best majors, the best captains and the best 
men. He was certain that good reports would come from 
it when it got to the front. When he returned from the 
the Civil, war thirty-three years ago, he carried a Spencer 
rifle and he only hoped that this sword would come back 
with as good a record as that rifle. He would promise one 
thing, and that was that it should not come back dishon- 
ored in any event. 

On Saturday, July 23d, occurred the first wedding. 
The Second Batallion, of which the bridegroom was a mem- 
ber, formed in hollow square in an open space of the grove.. 
Two other companies were also present, and here in the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 37 

presence of comrades and friends, on nature's soft carpet, 
and under her beautiful skies, after Colonel Backus had 
said " I f^ive this woman to be the soldier's bride," the 
regimental chaplain performed the ceremony that made 
Sergeant Robert L. Cromer, of Company I, and Miss Pink 
Allen, of Logansport, man and wife, and the soldiers gave 
three rousing cheers for the happy couple. On Sunday, 
July 24, the first regimental parade took place. Visitors 
were in abundance that day and from the grand stand and 
from the windows and balcony of the Administration build- 
ing they watched eleven hundred boys form in one long 
line of companies that stretched through the oval race 
track from end to end; it was a big crowd of soldiers and 
and as Lieutenant-Colonel Backus looked upon it, it 
seemed to grow bigger with every second; finally he 
shouted: "Right forward! fours right!" and after a 
remarkable maneuver got them to pass in review before 
Colonel Durbin. It was on this day that the adjutant's 
remarkable riding furnished material for such favorable 
newspaper comment. 

In the meantime international concerns were progress- 
ing exceeding slow, and while the men were speculating as to 
the when and where of our departure, public opinion was 
forming itself into the impression that we were on our first 
and only camping ground. As soon, however, as tentage 
was received the regiment was to change quarters, to leave 
the old barns and pitch a more model camp in the eastern 
portion of the grounds. This savored of a longer stay but 
was simply the purpose to improve the time and camp 
and give the men a little more military experience, even 
though the tents should stand only for a day, but who knew.' 
Accordingly the camp was laid out, thirteen wells were 
driven, tents were issued, and on July 29 and 30 the boys 
took up their beds and walked to the little village of tents 



38 HISTORY OF THE 

and in the evening at taps laid themselves down by fives in 
the little white houses. 

The ground was the same as that occupied by the other 
Indiana regiments, but so orderly and in such system was 
this camp laid out that favorable comparisons and com- 
ments were heard by all who visited the regiment while 
there. It was the idea which later perfected made the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first camp a " revelation." 

On July 31st (Sunday) occurred the first muster for 
pay. "Of all the signing of rolls that was the best one 
yet," said one man as he finished. On the 2d day of 
August the 45-caliber, 1884 pattern, Springfield rifles with 
bayonets were issued. They made the men appear very 
formidable, and they began at once the practice of the 
manual of arms; and for several days the boys drilled and 
speculated on the future, and posed for Treadwell-Shane, 
who hung the " Father of his Country " out to smile upon 
the boys, while he made mounted heroes out of them on a 
card 14x20, all for the small sum of $1.50 each. 

Saturday, August 6, at 5:30, the first guard was 
mounted, in a military fashion. Major Peterson acting as 
regimental adjutant; Captain Olds was officer of the day, 
and Lieutenant Reynolds was officer of the guard. The 
band was in formation, but instrumentless, and two of 
them accompanied the ceremony with bugles. This has 
always been an attractive feature; it was interesting that 
evening because it was new, but later, when executed with 
such spirited precision, the inspiring music, the inspection 
of guns, the entire ceremony, from the marching up of 
each detail to the passing in review before its officers, the 
act, although somewhat dramatic, was attractive and inter- 
esting, and impressed thoughtful minds with a world of 
meaning. In that ceremony one could see the whole his- 
tory of a war; so much have sentinels to do with battles. 



40 HISTORY OF THE 

Boys, do you remember the brave deed of August 5 ? 
History would be incomplete without it. It was 2:30 
p. M. when you formed yourselves and with determination 
deeply stamped upon your brows you advanced on head- 
quarters. Lieutenant-Colonel Backus was not the man you 
was looking for, and when he asked your purpose you 
demanded that he bring the colonel out, and the colonel came 
out of his tent; you remember when came and looked 
right at you — you know how the colonel could look — and 
when he said: " What does this mean ? " your leader swal- 
lowed the lump that rose like lightning in his throat and 
managed to say: "We want more privileges .'" and the 
colonel said: "Every man of you to your tents, at once ! " 
In a minute not a man was in sight. You always were 
obedient. 

. On August 7 (Sunday) the regiment was called out for 
parade; Lieutenant-Colonel Backus passed the regiment in 
review and rode to his place by the side of Colonel Dur- 
bin. The colonel asked him to form the regiment in line 
of masses, as he had something to say to them. After 
complimenting them on their appearance as a regiment he 
told them of the following order he that day received. 

Washington, D. C, August 7, 1898. 
Co/. Wiiificld T. Diirbiii, connnaiidiug One Hundred and 
Sixty-first United States Voln)iteer Infantry, Camp 
Mo lint, India n a/> /is , /;/ dia na : 

By direction of the secretary of war, 3'ou will proceed 
as soon as practicable with your regiment to Jacksonville, 
Florida, and report to the commanding general there. 
Upon receipt of this order you will at once communicate 
with the chief quartermaster, Chicago, for the necessary 
transportation, and with the chief commissary, Chicago, for 
ten-days' field rations, the necessary travel rations and cof- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4I 

fee money. The quartermaster general and commissary 
general have instructed the chief quartermaster and chief 
commissary as above to provide the transportation rations, 
and coffee money. Telegraph day of departure to command- 
ing general of Seventh Corps, also to this office, specifying 
amount of tentage, kind and calibre of arms and ammuni- 
tion taken with you. Acknowledge receipt. 
By order of the secretary of war. 

H. C. CORBIN, 

12:38 p. M. Adjutant General. 

No one present w-ill forget the demonstration which 
followed the reading of this order. It meant that the One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana was not to go home, but 
was to share in whatever there was yet to do to accomplish 
the end for which war was declared. And didn't the boys 
shout, and didn't they yell, and didn't every hat go up in 
the air, and didn't the officers do their share of noise- 
making, and how the people in the grand stand did wonder 
what the Colonel had said that threw the boys into such a 
commotion, and then when they were given "fall out" 
after reaching the company streets, how each company 
vied with every other in seeing which could make the most 
noise. After supper breaking the news to mother and 
other friends was the order until taps, and immediately next 
morning all loose articles were carefully packed away and 
preparations made for an immediate departure. Tents 
were searched and all side arms demanded. The boys had 
enlisted to fight and couldn't understand this seeming hard- 
ship, but experience calls it a wise precaution. 

Tuesday, the 9th, the paymaster squared every man 
with the Government, and on Wednesday we would have 
been marching to the cars had transportation been furnished 
as per expectation, but all was in readiness the following 



42 HISTORY OF THE 

day, and i p. m., August ii, found the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first Indiana marching toward the North street depot, 
from which point, by contract, the Big Four was to carry 
us all to Jacksonville. Concerning this day's events the 
following is taken, in part, from the Indianapolis Journal of 
the 1 2th instant: 

"The One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment has gone 
to Jacksonville, leaving Camp Mount deserted except for 
the two colored companies. There were no drills in camp in 
the morning, but every soldier was intense with excitement 
in anticipation of the move to the south, even though none 
of the troops may ever see the smoke of battle. The offi- 
cers were instructed to have a man at each corner of every 
tent at nine o'clock promptly, and at bugle call to draw the 
ropes and pack tents and equipment at once. As soon as 
the bugle blew the blast every tent fell over to the north 
just as if a cyclone had struck camp and swept the field 
clean. In twenty minutes the tents were down, packed 
and loaded into wagons to be hauled to the cars near by. 

"An early noon mess was ordered, and at one o'clock 
the ride to Sixteenth street began. The colored compa- 
nies, which acted as escort to the regiment, came first and 
were followed by the First Battalion. These were followed 
by the Second and Third Battalions. The soldiers left the 
cars at Sixteenth street and marched across to Meridian, 
where they halted, waiting for Colonel Durbin and staff, 
who came up a few minutes before three. Governor 
Mount, his secretary and the When Band were in waiting. 
At three o'clock the order to ' fall in ' was given and the 
line of march began, the colored men in front, then Gov- 
ernor Mount. Colonel Durbin and staff. The First, Sec- 
ond and Third Battalions followed in the order given. 
Company F carried the flag in the middle of the regiment. 
The length of the line was six blocks, four abreast. Hun- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 45 

dreds of people lined the way alons^ the line of march, 
shoutirg 'good-bye' to the soldiers. When the flag was 
carried along the crowd went wild with applause and hats 
were lifted until it had passed. 

In front of the state house the troops were drawn up 
and passed in review before the governor." 

We have always thought of the governor as our friend, 
and every officer and private felt something of the debt to 
him for its magnificent beginning under his care and super- 
vision. Every regiment claimed and received his interest 
and his attention, and he dealt fairly and impartially with 
them all, out of concern for the credit they were to reflect 
upon the State that sent them forth, but the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first, being the only volunteer regiment, he nec- 
essarily came into closer touch with its organization. His 
notable wisdom in the selection of officers and the justice 
characterizing his every dealing with the regiment, won 
the admiration of every soldier. Its welfare received his 
attention in every possible way and the good reputation it 
afterward sustained was to him a source of deep pleasure. 
It is a pleasure to here insert the governor's speech which 
was made to the regiment drawn up before him and which 
so many of the men far down the narrow street could not 
hear. 

THE governor's SPEECH. 

"Soldiers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
Volunteers — You are to-day bidding good-bye to friends, 
to home and to your native state. In behalf of this com- 
monwealth I desire to bid you good-bye and godspeed on 
your journey. In common with thousands of brave men, 
you tendered your service upon the first call of the President 
of the United States for volunteers. You pleaded ear- 
nestly and with importunity that your service might be 
accepted. You reflect but the patriotism of tens of thou- 
sands of other brave men in Indiana who tendered their 




Governor James A. Mount. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4$ 

services and who have importuned earnestly that their serv- 
ice might be accepted. (Applause.) It has been your 
patriotism and the patriotism of the brave men of Indiana 
that enabled the state to take her proud position at the 
front of the states in furnishing her quota of soldiers. 
(Applause.) It was this patriotism that enabled Indiana to 
report her quota ready first of all the states. It was 
this patriotism that enabled Indiana to have her soldiers 
first mustered into the service. It will not, soldiers, 
militate against your patriotism or your honor that 
you may not engage in battle. You have made per- 
sonal sacrifice — no one knows but a soldier and a soldier's 
family the personal sacrifice he makes when he enlists in 
his country's service. He goes forth to meet the dangers 
of battle and the disease of the camp. He goes forth 
perhaps not to return to those who are dear to him. He 
enlists and is ready for whatever service the governmeiit 
may accept of him. He sacrifices his home, he leaves 
loved ones, and only a mother can tell what sacrifices she 
makes when she bids farewell to her darling boy, and only 
that boy knows the sacrifice of leaving home when he bids 
farewell to his mother and his friends. Some of you have 
bade good-bye to a loving wife, some of you to a mother 
and a father, some to brothers and sisters, but you are all 
bidding good-bye to friends who are as dear to you as your 
own life. Not only this sacrifice, but many of you are 
sacrificing your business. You have allowed nothing to 
come between you and your country. I may truthfully say 
of Indiana that the five regiments that have gone forth from 
this state, and are now going, and the two independent 
companies, and the two batteries, are as grand men as ever 
enlisted in any cause. (Applause.) And they are all of 
them as brave men as ever entered an army for the defense 
of the country. (Renewed applause.) And if opportunity 
offers Indiana soldiers will refiect credit upon the govern- 
ment and upon this great commonwealth. (Applause.) 

" It looks at this time as though the war might be 
near its termination, and in the dawn of peace we all 
rejoice. These brave men have been willing to give their 
lives, but God spare their lives and permit them to return. 



46 HISTORY OF THE 

all of them, to this state. (Great applause.) But, sol- 
diers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first, I am not a 
prophet, but I predict that you will tread on Cuban soil 
before you are welcomed back to the state of Indiana. 
{Tremendous applause.) I believe that the gallant Fitz- 
hugh Lee. if he does not go to Cuba as conqueror, will go 
there with an army of occupation (applause), and I believe 
this regiment, with General Lee, will be on Cuban soil 
next winter. And, comrade soldiers, there will be battles 
for you to fight, though they may not be against the enemy. 
The insidious temptations that follow camp life require 
courage to meet and maintain your honor and your dignity. 
I would counsel you, meet these temptations of camp life 
like heroes. There is no schooling, in my judgment, that 
is grander than the schooling a soldier receives in camp and 
in battle. The mask will be thrown aside. You will see 
men in their true character. In the army some men will 
do that which they would scorn to do in society. But the 
true soldier will maintain his dignity, his gentlemanly 
demeanor, in camp and in battle, as well as in society. 
(Applause.) And those soldiers that meet the dangers and 
temptations of camp and return with their characters 
unsullied, dignified, temperate, gentlemanly at the close of 
war will be men who have learned lessons that will be of 
incalculable benefit to them through life. So my parting 
words would be to these brave men, be diligent, be active, 
be brave, be temperate, be contented, maintain a cheerful 
disposition. We are told that a cheerful spirit doeth good 
as a medicine. The soldier that becomes disheartened 
and discouraged in camp is in danger of inviting disease 
and of meeting death. So, soldiers of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first, acquit yourselves like men, so that when 
you return to your friends and to your state you will return 
bringing back that nobility of character and manhood as well 
as a brave record as a soldier. I have no fear the good name 
of Indiana will be vindicated in the camp or in the furnace 
of battle. (Applause.) Go forth, brave men of Indiana, 
and may God's blessing and God's protecting power go 
with you, and in his good providence may you be per- 
mitted to return and receive that welcome that patriotic 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4/ 

soldiers deserve from their friends and from their native 
state." (Tremendous applause.) 

Colonel Durbin made a few happy remarks and then, 
dismounting from his horse, shook hands with the gov- 
ernor. Colonel Backus followed Colonel Durbin's exam- 
ple. Cheer after cheer was given by the soldiers for the 
flag and officers. The march then continued to the North 
street depot, where cars were in readiness. 

At 8:30 o'clock the first section, bearing the Third 
Battalion, left the depot; a few minutes intervened between 
the starting of the other two sections, the first of which 
carried the First Battalion and the second the Second 
Battalion. The arrangements were complete and were 
carried out with precision in every detail. 

The One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry was on its way to join the army of Fitz Hugh Lee. 



CHAPTER III. 



EN ROUTE TO JACKSONVILLE, 

The three trains left North street station a few mo- 
ments apart and passed in close succession through the 
Union depot at 9:10 p. u., and a few moments later the 
lights of Indianapolis were shining far behind us as the well- 
loaded coaches sped away to the south. 

The entire train save the baggage and freight accom- 
modations was composed of sleeping cars and the troops 
were transported with every possible convenience and 
comfort. The brief run of each section is better described 
by one who was there. 

THE FIRST SECTION. 

While the big guns were belching at Santiago the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment, just mustered 
into service, was listening with bated breath and wondering 
if ever it would be theirs "to do or die." The wiseacres 
knowingly shook their heads and said "you fellows will 
never leave Camp Mount until you are mustered out," so it 
was a great relief to all when the orders came to report at 
Jacksonville. The Third Battalion was designated as the 
first section, carrying besides its four companies. Colonel 
Durbin, with Major Smith and Adjutant Tichenor of the 
staff and Lieutenant-Colonel Crooker, commissary officer, 
and the usual amount ot impedimenta including the regi- 
mental horses. It was 8:50 p. m. before we were loaded 
on Pullmans at the North street station and started on our 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 49 

mission for humanity's sake over the Big Four by way of 
Louisville, Kentucky. Our first stop was at Shelbyville at 
1 1 o'clock, where a large number of people were waiting 
with a farewell for the boys of Company C; but little time 
was given them, however, and we were soon speeding on our 
way, arriving at Louisville about 3 A, M., where we were 
transferred to the L. & N. Railroad; a few hours more 
and we were passing through some battle fields of old 
upon which there is a monument to the memory of the 
boys in blue who had fallen there long before the majority 
of us were born. 

At Bowling Green trouble began with a native selling 
whisky to the men and who had no intention of respecting 
the order of Lieutenant Dority, who had been appointed 
provost marshal for the section, and when the bystanders 
interfered in behalf of their fellow townsman trouble of a 
very serious character began to brew, until Colonel Durbin 
and the adjutant came to the marshal's assistance; the 
liquor was confiscated, the soldiers ordered to the train, 
and the offending party allowed his freedom for lack of 
time to punish him. The train went ikying away, making 
Nashville about noon, where coffee was served for the first 
time since leaving Camp Mount. We were soon on our 
way again, reaching Birmingham, Alabama, shortly before 
midnight, where we passed General Carpenter and staff o£ 
the Fourth Army Corps on their way to Huntsville, where- 
that corps had been ordered from Tampa. At Birming- 
ham several colored men boarded the train and began to. 
go through some of the clothing of the men whose fathers 
had made them free. They were, however, soon promptly 
fired from the train, and, after a few shots fired in the air- 
by the daring lieutenant appointed for that purpose, the 
train was ready to proceed. The next morning papers at 

Decatur told us that the protocol had been signed and that 

4 



50 HISTORY OF THE 

the war was virtually at an end; but on we went, arriving at 
2:45 P. M. at Thomasville, known as the "garden city of 
the south," and one of its best known and most popular 
health resorts. Late in the afternoon we came to Way- 
cross; here we had an hour's stop. The colonel ordered 
the battalion off and instructed company commanders to 
give their men the setting-up exercise and some of the foot 
movements. A heavy rain interfered even before Com- 
pany G could complete its roll call, yet it was finished de- 
spite the fact that every man got soaked through; the 
other companies broke for shelter at the first sign and 
were soon scattered over town, some looking for a bite to 
eat, others for a drink, the former getting the best of the 
deal, for Waycross is a sure enough "dry town," despite 
the fact that the streets were flooded with water and the 
mud ankle deep. At Waycross an old darkey brother 
came to us with the query "is you all gwine down to jine 
Sherman.'" Assuring him that we were, we again boarded 
the train and soon finished our journey, arriving at Jackson- 
ville at 9:30 P. M. of the 13th, where we were run into the 
yards and there awaited the coming of the other sections, 
which were said to be somewhere in our rear. The trip 
was devoid of any incident further than the excitement, to 
some of the favored ones riding on the engine while pass- 
ing through Georgia, caused by running over an occasional 
steer. 

SECOND SECTION. 

This section followed closely after the first. It car- 
ried the First Battalion with Lieutenant-Colonel Backus in 
command and with Lieutenant Gerrish and Chaplain 
Biederwolf of the staff. 

The men were comfortably fixed, two in a lower berth 
and one in an upper and with every one in highest spirits 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 5 I 

we chased away in hot pursuit of the section in advance. 
Captain Baird was made officer of the day and Lieutenant 
Fitch officer of the guard. 

For every coach end there was a guard who stood with- 
out in the day and sat within at night. We knew the 
good example the first section would set us in sobriety and 
it was desirable to set the same example to the section 
following us and one of the works of chief importance was 
preventing liquor being passed to the men through the 
windows by those who were dwarfed in character enough 
to do it. 

One son of darkness was caught in the act just before 
we started; he was brought into the presence of Lieutenant- 
colonel Backus who ordered him turned over to civil au- 
thorities; how he did beg and promise and finally when the 
Colonel asked him how quick he would get out if allowed 
to run he said " Now boss, foh God! if you give dis chile 
three seconds you can shoot at him. " The colonel gave 
it to him and he was out of sight in less time than he 
had bargained for. At every stop along the way guards 
were placed outside along the cars who did double duty 
of kd'eping the men in and every thing undesirable out. 
In this regard the section is indebted to Lieutenant Ger- 
rish for admirable service rendered. The train reached the 
smoky city of Louisville early on the morning of the 
1 2th where it had the misfortune of starting up before 
some of the men got on board. Billy Woods, of Company 
A, and a few others had only met some friends but they 
turned up in Jacksonville as good as new a few minutes 
after the regiment was on the ground. 

The boys didn't do a thing to the big juicy water- 
melons that were waiting all along the way to meet the 
train. They were dessert to the corn-beef«and beans and 
hard-tack that fed the boys, and revenue to the sleepy old 



C2 HISTORY OF THE 

farmer who was fortunate enough to have his crop in the 
right market at the right time. 

Everywhere we were greeted with characteristic south- 
ern cordiahty, especially generous under circumstances fast 
obliterating the last bit of sectional feeling and calling us 
together in the common struggle then on. There were 
cheers and there were waving handkerchiefs, there were 
hand-shakings and expressive good-byes though they had 
met but for a moment. Beautiful bouquets, roses and loose 
flowers were laid in our hands at every stop and on every 
side expressions of universal good feeling and best wishes 
to cheer us as we went, made the run an interesting and 
delightful one. 

From an occasional inquiry as to when the preceding 
section had passed we learned that either they were gain- 
ing time or we were losing it; our frequent stops to repair 
couplings suggested the latter; the platforms were pulling 
off and in order to arrive with the same number of cars 
with which we started it became necessary to stop at 
Decatur, Alabama, and throw three cars to the rear. The 
train then rolled on to Montgomery, Alabama's capital, and 
for a brief period capital of the Confederate States; here 
the men who cared to wake up got coffee at 2 A. M. The 
first section seemed to be uneasy about the tardiness and 
sent us the following telegram, received about one hundred 
and fifty miles out of Montgomery. 
"Lieut. -Col. Backus: 

" Why is second section so far behind; report condition 
of your command, including chaplain. 

"Col. W. T. Durbin." 
The following reply was wired at once. 
"Col. W. T. Durbin: 

" Making best possible time, three couplings broke; all 
sober except chaplain. " "V. M. Backus." 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 53 

That was an ingenious stroke, but a few hours later 
when information was received that beer was substituted 
for coffee at Thomasville the chaplain had a fit of genuine 
sobriety. Could any one think that a hungry man would 
prefer beer to a quart of delicious hot coffee; were the 
men who did not drink beer to have nothing.^ No. A canvass 
was made. " Boys remember those who take beer get no 
coffee." Be it to their credit that three-fourths chose cof- 
fee, which they got; the guzzler gulped his beer and then 
begged for coffee which he didn't get and the train rolled 
on to Waycross. More than a century ago General Ogle- 
thorpe, then governor of the colony of Georgia, had his head- 
quarters in Waycross; it is to-day one of the most attract- 
ive places in the state, its temperature and its environs 
making it a rendezvous for many a winter visitor. After a 
short stay for supper the train pulled out for the last part 
of the long run to Jacksonville just as the third section 
came up at 9 p. m. Arriving at Jacksonville at 2:30 A. M., 
we found the first section a few hours in advance of us and 
after waiting until 6:30 a. m. the men had an opportunity 
for breakfast, and were ready to leave for the campsite, six 
miles out of the city. 

THE THIRD SECTION. 

After a long, weary wait on the transportation depart- 
ment there came a scramble for berths in the train which 
was to convey the third section to Jacksonville, Florida; 
then another one of those unexplained delays which seemed 
to be intended for those who had mothers, wives and sweet- 
hearts to bid goodbye, and we steamed slowly away from 
anxious friends and relatives, from our native state and 
from the scene of our regimental birth. Our trip was to be 
a long one, uneventful in most part, but in fact made up of 



54 HISTORY OF THE 

numerous modest incidents which become more interesting 
with retrospection. 

Besides the battaHon commander and his companies 
this section was accompanied by Quartermaster Brunt and 
Dr. Wilson of the staff. Officers of the day and guard 
were appointed, the train was carefully searched, all lock- 
ers and other places of possible concealment opened and 
every discovered drop of intoxicants thrown away and 
every precaution taken to bring the section through in an 
orderly and commendable way. 

Sleep and sociability were scarce that night; in sub- 
dued wakefulness the boys lay quiet and thought of the 
past and the unknown future. Of course the coffee did 
not turn up at the breakfast hour, but it came later. The 
first meeting with the preceding section occurred at Bow- 
ling Green, Kentucky, where, after a short breathing space, 
we separated for another run. At Nashville it was late 
coffee again. We were fast leaving our beloved North 
behind us as was plainly noticed by the increase of colored 
people and by the increase of R's in the speech of the 
whites. We stopped for a short time at the historic town 
of Pulaski, made historic by its association with the Army 
of Tennessee in the last great war. We stayed in Pulaski 
too long, all on account of a dog; just a shepherd dog, 
nameless so far as we knew, but he left Pulaski with our 
train, it is presumed, and soon the wires were hot with 
messages which were being continually poked at us in 
regard to that dog; the militia was not ordered out by 
Governor Taylor, nor was the military force of Alabama 
called upon to restore the much desired canine, but many 
a self-important marshal of many a sleepy southern town 
was forced to stop whittling his favorite store-box and 
inquire for the lost pet. In the meantime the dog's con- 
science troubled him for leaving home and we kindly put 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 55 

him in a condition to return, and when we were next 
approached by a diplomatic representative of the Mont- 
gomery poHce force in reference to the dog he was given 
carte blanche to search the train, but in vain, for if the dog 
wasn't on his way home, who could be blamed? Surely 
not the policeman. 

The short stops at the small stations, such as Ashford 
in Alabama, Bainbridge, Thomasville and Naylor in Geor- 
gia, gave us an opportunity to observe the strangers among 
whom fate had thrown us. At Bainbridge and Naylor our 
coaches were strewn with beautiful southern roses; at the 
former of these places a charming little southern beauty 
gave to Major Megrew a sweet smile, accompanied with a 
beautiful bouquet of roses, on the inside of which was a little 
note which read: "If you want to make the Spaniards 
run, just give the rebel yell," and signed "A Little Rebel." 
The extreme cordiality which was shown to us all through 
the south was too strong to be misunderstood; it was a 
feeling of friendship and good will. We reached Jackson- 
ville about 3:30 A. M., August 14, and in six hours with the 
rest of the regiment we were disembarked at Panama Park, 
and the pine and palm thickets were being razed in a most 
unceremonious manner, and palm trees that were sold for 
dollars in our own states were being chopped down like 
thistles, and in their stead arose the square white houses of 
the new comers — the tall hoosiers of the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 

First impressions are not always reliable, but the men 
were scarcely ever relieved of the unfavorable impression 
which Florida first made upon them. No doubt they were 
expecting too much; their imagination had been fired by 



56 HISTORY OF THE 

glowing accounts and exaggerated pictures of her luxuriant 
vegetation and they were going 

" Way down in the South where gulf breezes blow, 
Where tall, stately pines and the live oaks grow, 

Where soft summer nights are cooled by the dew. 

And a summer sun shines the winter months through." 

They were bound for the " sunny South," where lux- 
urious fruits of untold variety would be theirs for the 
trouble of gathering them; they were expecting monkeys to 
threw cocoanuts at them out of the tops of beautiful palms. 
But it is true that the Seventh Army Corps did not locate 
in the best part of this reputed land of flowers and although 
recent winters have been too severe for much of its fruit- 
age yet there are many portions of the great peninsula that 
are veritable garden spots. But there was an abundance 
of some things; for instance, there were darkies enough; 
there were pine trees enough and there was sand enough; 
enough for a whole Sahara if you made up in depth what 
it lacked in breadth; there was also sun enough; the boys 
always had trouble about noon in finding their shadows and 
the direct and intense heat made one dull and stupid; and 
there was Florida moss enough dressing all those live oaks 
in mourning so prophetic with their drapery of the spirit 
that was so soon to take hold of the men. 

When the several trains arrived at the camping site 
the regimental effects were at once unloaded and the men 
began to carry them to their proper places where the com- 
pany streets had been laid out. An elevated piece of 
ground already cleared for drilling purposes by the Third 
Nebraska, who were immediately on our right, had been 
reserved for us and immediately the busy scenes incident 
to arranging camp commenced; by late evening all tents 
were up and the camp in such shape as a day's work of a 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 5/ 

regiment will usually put it, but all the men were tired; the 
tramping over sand and scorched by a hot August sun that 
cooked the vitality out of a fellow and the hard work after 
a hard ride went a good ways for the strongest man who 
was not accustomed to such depressing environment and 
when the evening came with its cool blessing the boys laid 
down to sleep and in a few moments might have been for 
all they knew back in the Hoosier state where so many 
soon wished they were. 

Immediately to our right was the Third Nebraska, 
beyond them the Second Mississippi and behind us a little 
to the left the Third Division Hospital. Upon our arrival 
Colonel Durbin was notified that his regiment had been 
assigned to the First Brigade, Third Division of the Seventh 
Army Corps. The Seventh Army Corps had at that time 
the following composition: 

Major-General Fitzhugh Lee, Commanding. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

Major-General J, Warren Keifer, Commanding. 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General Lloyd Wheaton, Commanding.; 

First Texas Volunteer Infantry. 

First Louisiana Volunteer Infantry. ^ .,,,^', f 

First Alabama Volunteer Infantry. 

SECOND BRIGADE. 

Brigadier General W. W. Gordon, Commanding.; 

Second Texas Volunteer Infantry. 

Second Louisiana Volunteer Infantry. 

Second Alabama Volunteer Infantry. ' '^ ' 



58 HISTORY OF THE 

THIRD BRIGADE. 

Colonel C. B. Hunt, First Ohio Vol. Inf., Commanding. 

Fourth United States Volunteer Infantry. 
First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. 

SECOND DIVISION. 
Brigadier-General Abraham K. Arnold, Commanding. 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General Andrew S. Burt, Commanding. 

Second Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
First North Carolina Volunteer Infantry. 
Second New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. 

SECOND BRIGADE. 

Colonel D. V. Jackson, Fiftieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
Commanding. 

Fiftieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. 
First Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. 
Ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 

THIRD BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General H. C. Hasbrouck, Commanding. 

Second Virginia Volunteer Infantry. 
Fourth Virginia Volunteer Infantry. 
Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. 

THIRD DIVISION. 
Brigadier-General Lucius F. Hubbard, Commanding. 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General Lucius F. Hubbard, Commanding. 
Second Mississippi Volunteer Infantry. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 59 

Third Nebraska Volunteer Infantry. 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry. 

• SECOND BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General James H. Barklay, Commanding. 

Fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. 
First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry. 
Sixth Missouri Volunteer Infantry. 

THE SECOND UNITED STATES VOLUNTEER CAVALRY. 

Colonel Jay L. Torrey, Commanding. 

SIGNAL CORPS BATTALION. 

Captain H. C. Giddings, Commanding. 

The Seventh Army Corps on September ist consisted, 
therefore, of three infantry divisions, one cavalry regiment, 
one signal corps battalion, three hospital and four ambu- 
lance companies. A total of twelve hundred and fifty-two 
commissioned officers and thirty thousand one hundred 
and nineteen enlisted men. 



CHAPTER IV. 



CAMP CUBA LIBRE. 

August 14, '98-September 30, '98. 

The following day was like the first and with the com- 
ing of the next came also the news that on that day, Aug- 
ust 16, there would be held a brigade review in honor of 
the governor of Nebraska; Governor Holcomb had arrived 
in the city, Saturday evening, the 13th, and had come as 
a visitor of Colonel Bryan, of the Third Nebraska, to 
Camp Cuba Libre on Sunday, and after spending the night 
in camp witnessed the review on Monday. Being the first 
review with which the regiment was connected the officers 
had naturally a little solicitude about the part it was to play 
in the parade and did not return in the highest elatement 
over its deportment, but the fault lay elsewhere than in the 
regiment. 

On the 17th occurred the first regimental formation 
in the South, regimental parade being held late in the after- 
noon; the following few days were spent as usual under 
such circumstances; there were tents to be floored, sinks 
and shacks to be built and land to be cleared; the tempera- 
ture was 103'' and the drilling necessarily very light, one 
and one-half hours only being devoted to those military 
gyrations which some of the men have dubbed "The Sol- 
dier's delight;" now Florida was a part of our country and 
still is, although some of the men were of the impression 
that one of the peace conditions should be that Spain should 
take it back, yet being of their native land, like true patriots 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



6 1 



whose sole purpose it is to sacrifice themselves for their 
country, the men all became members cf "The Florida 
Land Improvement Company" and spent their spare time 
in j^rubbing stumps and roots and underbrush, thereby 
enhancing the value of the land so that an acre wholly 
worthless when we came might under pressing circumstances 
be sold for a few farthings when we left. On the banks of 
the St. Johns, not far away, was situated the famous Cum- 
mer Lumber mills, one of the largest establishments for 
the sawing and shipping of yellow pine in the United States 
and with its genial proprietor arrangements were made for 
fnrtiic;i-,;ncr the regrl meu t wi t'' timber. All told two hundred 




Company Street in Camp Cuba Libre. 



and forty thousand feet of lumber were there used by the * 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana; as fast as it could be 



62 



HISTORY OF THE 



hauled to the regiment it was made up into floors and need- 
ful structures and by the 19th every tent in the regiment 
had its floor that was to guard its sleeping inmates from 
those sneaking malarial microbes that came up out of the 
ground like a thief in the night to fill the men with poison 
fever and to steal away their color and their spirits. 

By the end of the first week the carpenters detailed 
for the purpose had erected all the company cook shacks; 
back of headquarters the battalion and noncommissioned 
mess tents arose and finally after the colonel and all his 
staff had more sand in their craws than ever before or since 
a kitchen and breeze catching dining room covered a spot 
on the sand where they could humour their stomachs in 
comfort when there was any thing else besides fish to eat. 
Among the first regimental buildings to be erected was the 




Commissary. Camp Cuba Libre. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 63 

structure to be used for the purpose of the commissary. 
Here the meat was handled and the bread baked and the 
rations issued and in this building the Exchange had its 
birth the following month. 

The commissary business at Camp Mount had been in 
the hands of M. R. Peterson, assisted by Lieutenant Meston 
and rations were issued from the Fine Arts building. Upon 
the regiment's departure for Jacksonville First Lieutenant 
Crooker was appointed regimental commissary officer, which 
position he held until sickness made necessary a leave of 
absence and Second Lieutenant Freeman was appointed to 
succeed him on the 5th of September and served till the 
service closed except during the time between February 
23 and March 23, when sick in the Second Division hospital 
at Camp Columbia, during which time Lieutenant Brunt acted 
in his stead. Lieutenant Freeman has been ably assisted by 
the valuable clerkship of Sergeant Charles E. Wolf, acting 
regimental commissary sergeant. 

This department draws and issues all rations for the 
regiment and besides the one thousand three hundred to 
one thousand five hundred loves of bread baked each day, 
practically a loaf a day for each man, the following figures 
will show at what cost to the Government a month's rations 
are issued to a regiment of men. . These figures are 
furnished by Lieutenant Freeman. 

Fresh beef, 31,500 lbs. at 6c $1,890.00 

Beef roasted, one-pound cans, 3,900 lbs. at 14c 195.00 

Flour, 30,400 lbs. at 2c . 608.00 

Hard bread, 1 1 , 700 lbs. at 6c 702.00 

Beans, 3,000 lbs. at 2c 60.00 

Rice, 2,000 lbs. at 6c 120.00 

Potatoes, 208 bush, at $1 208.00 

Onions, 52 bush, at $1 52.00 



64 HISTORY OF THE 

Tomatoes, 3,480 lbs. at 8.^c $295.80 

Coffee, green, 2,000 lbs. at 8|c i75-0O 

Coffee roasted, 1,440 lbs. at I2|c 183.00 

Sugar, 5,900 lbs. at 4.\c 265.50 

Vinegar, 400 gals, at 12c 48.00 

Salt, r,6oo lbs. at Ic 14.00 

Pepper, 1 00 lbs. at i $2^ i 5 • 5° 

Soap, 1,560 lbs. at 3c. 46.80 

Salmon, 3,936 lbs. at 9c 354-24 

Bacon, 8,775 lbs. at 7c 614.25 

Total $5,847.09 

On the 19th another review was ordered, and the 
brigade was passed in review before its commanding officer. 
Colonel Montgomery, of the Second Mississippi. On this 
occasion, as on the previous one, there was no band to fur- 
nish music for the regiment, but after a long wait a very 
inferior set of brass band instruments came on the morn- 
ing of the 22d. All around us from other regiments had 
been heard the music of their bands, but now the boys 
were fixed and that day there was music down the lines. 
" Tich " beat the bass-drum, and the band marched down 
by the companies, while all the men fell in to cheer; the 
next morning at " can't get 'em up " time they were 
aroused in the same way. It was only two weeks until the 
instruments in question were laid aside and replaced by the 
high-class ones of the Second Mississippi, who were bound 
for home. 

There was another review held on this day, this time 
it being the division which was passed in review on the 
usual parade, place at 4 o'clock p. M. before Brigadier- 
General Hubbard. On the 24th the chaplain's assembly 
tent arose, a cool and commodious affair, where the officer 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



65 



in charge could always look for his detail when they turned 
up missing, and where the men licked the ice when there 
was no water in the barrel and the hot sun made it danger- 
ous for them to venture after a bucketfull. 

On the same day the barn, with its sixteen stalls, the 
best the horses ever saw since leaving Hoosierdom, was 
ready for them, previous to which they had stood about 
making the best of it. At Camp Mount they were sheltered 
in the comfortable stock barns, in Savannah in a rented 
affair that passed for a barn, save a few that were given free 
stalls by a kind friend across the way, while the accommo- 
dations in Cuba are shown in the accompanying cut. 




Barn — Camp Cuba Libre. 



The 25th saw the colonel start on his flying trip to 

Washington; no one could swear to the purpose for which. 
5 



66 HISTORY OF THE 

he went but every private in the ranks knew. Already some 
of the men wanted to go home but the colonel was in for 
"On to Cuba," to which place when he returned the fol- 
lowing Sunday he told them they had the brightest pros- 
pects of going; it was Sunday evening just time for the 
chaplain's service when the colonel decided by reason of 
the exigence of the occasion to hold a little service of his 
own; he always drew a bigger crowd than the chaplain and 
that night the men being particularly anxious about their 
future state he got the whole regiment and when he told 
them of their probable going to Cuba the same fellows who 
had just before preferred home -going broke loose in uncon- 
trollable enthusiam upon the expenditure of which the 
chaplain had to wait for his service. 

During the colonel's absence the division was reviewed 
on the 26th by its commander, and a few days later was 
passed in review before General Lee. This was the first 
time the corps commander had reviewed the Third Division, 
and it brought to the men their first opportunity of seeing 
the general, of whom they had heard so much. The men 
were in heavy marching order, and the formation was in 
masses, on three sides of a hollow square, in the clear 
space by the side of Panama park. It was the most elab- 
orate affair the boys had yet attended, and they did them- 
selves proud; their excellent training was beginning to 
show, and the regiment received the unqualified recom- 
mendation of the general. This review was closely fol- 
lowed by another on the last day of the month. This was, 
however, to be a review, and the first one, of the entire 
Seventh Army Corps, and was to be held in the city of 
Jacksonville before the commander of the corps. 

The regiment left camp at 12:30 and marched into the 
city, taking its place in the Third Division, which was 
reviewed first after Torrey's Cavalry and the Signal Corps 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 6/ 

had passed the reviewing stand. Twenty-three regiments 
and more than twenty-eight thousand men were in Hne. 
The entire poHce force of the city went before the pro- 
cession, and General Lee and staff headed the column 
until the reviewing stand was reached. Every inch of 
available space was crowded with a mass of white and 
black humanity, while from the piazzas of the Windsor 
the more favored looked down and pitied(?) the less fortu- 
nate. It took two hours for the corps to pass the review- 
ers, and the men were greeted with long and continued 
shouts of approval, although, from a military standpoint, 
the review could not begin to compare with those put up 
by the same corps, though reorganized, in later months. 
Among the remarks of the press it was said " Colonel 
Durbin's command won much praise by its fine marching, 
full companies and straight lines." Not more than a dozen 
men from the One Hundred and Sixty-first fell out from 
exhaustion, but it was a noticeable and notable fact that 
the men of the southern regiments could not stand the 
ordeal as well as those from the north, but with drooping 
heads, laid down in every spot, as the sturdy Hoosiers 
showed them how to endure their own climate. The 
companies returned at leisure, marching slowly and resting 
at will, until they arrived at camp, from 6 to 7:30 p. m., 
glad the day was over and ready for the night. 

With the corps review closed the month and its events; 
much of the men's spare time was spent in exploring the 
country adjacent to the camp, many whiled away the hours 
between drills along the shell road that led to Jacksonville, 
that fine driveway that came into existence when northern 
generosity sent the suffering south more money than she 
needed or knew what to do with; others sought the shade 
under the solemn live oaks in Panama park and glanced in 
upon the concrete oval where some of the world's bicycle 



68 HISTORY OF THE 

records have been made. The chief amusement was fish- 
ing in the placid St. Johns at Cummers mill or at the rail- 
road bridge at Trout Creek. Saturdays and Sundays found 
many disciples of Izaak Walton with line and net angling 
for drum and bass or devoting all energy to catching crabs, 
for it took two men to haul in a crab and then they gener- 
ally missed him. There was so much sameness to the 
scenery and the men saw it always before them so they will 
never forget it were there nothing else but impressions of 
idle moments to fix it before them. 

For sixteen days now the regiment had been swelter- 
ing in awful heat; the burning sun was above' and the 
burning sand beneath, filling all space with direct and 
reflected rays of intensest heat that drove the men moping to 
their tents. A small breeze about lo o'clock that came 
blowing its way so gently up from St. John's direction, as 
if it felt uncertain of its welcome, was all that made the 
day endurable. Between the hours of 1 1 and 2 wisdom 
drove every man into the shade and regimental work had 
to wait for cooler hours. The chief blessing of that climate 
is in the cool nights; all that yellow pine grows in the 
night time; the humidity of the atmosphere is so dense that 
a man must either roll his clothes up and hide them or 
wring them out in the morning before dressing. Unaccus- 
tomed to such conditions, the men soon showed the effects 
of the change; acclimation was an impossibility; not for a 
citizen with home comforts, but for northern army men, 
yes. The number at sick call was gradually increasing and 
the eyes of some of the men were touched with a tinge of 
beautiful yellow. Then came the fever in terrific force, 
but it was a sickness the German calls " Heimweh," known 
in Camp Cuba Libre as " Home sick fever. " It was ;/^/ 
unmanly; going to Cuba was not a certainty; when it was 
the men cheered, although false reports of its heat still 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 69 

more intense and of its yellow plague were not alluring. 
Let them fight, let them move — anything rather than an 
indefinite stay where they were, and the reason was 
legitimate, gainsay it he who will, and the same ground 
that justified the resignation of some of the army's highest 
officers and men of soundest judgment; and the funny part 
of it all was the farce played by the line officers before the 
colonel on the 3d of September, when each reported in 
turn a possible half dozen who were anxious to go home, 
and one a probable three or four who might go if the way 
was clear, while a regimental vote would have revealed 
eighty-five per cent, of the men with their hearts in 
Hoosierdom; in fact, a quiet ballot by the first sergeants 
resulted in ninety-five per cent., and a telegram of the in- 
formation sent the governor. The next day was Sunday, 
and the time for the chaplain's evening service had come, 
and the pulpit was to be occupied by the colonel. The 
regiment was there, and it was a great and notable event. 
The colonel only asked for five minutes, and when urged 
to use the hour modestly replied that such a thing would be 
an impossibility, but when he got started, like all men who 
really have anything to say, he forget himself in the 
interest of his subject and what he said was a plenty. No 
one doubts to-day that he said the right thing; it was a 
searching speech, with plenty of sarcasm, plenty of encour- 
agement and plenty of good advice, and the men went to 
their tents thoughtful and hopeful for the future. 

On the 3d of the month the inspector-general of 
the corps, Lieutenant- Colonel Curtis Guild, Jr., came to 
the regiment on a tour of inspection. He was a genial 
officer, and the men liked him. The tents were all in 
order for his inspecting eye and the men were in company 
front in the streets. Their guns and clothing and military 
knowledge were inspected. A beautiful face on an enamel 



70 HISTORY OF THE 

button was pinned to one man's coat. " Your sweetheart, 
I suppose. " said the colonel. "Yes, sir," was the polite 
answer. "I suppose you think a great deal of her," 
remarked the colonel. "Yes, sir," said the soldier. 
" Well," said the colonel, with a twinkle in his eye, " put 
her under the lapel where she can't be seen; it's not 
military. " 

To another: " Well, young man, what would you do 
if you were a sentinel and an enemy should attempt to cross 
your line in the night.'" " Present arms," was the prompt 
reply. "And you, my young man, what would you do if 
in the night time you discovered a fire in your captain's 
tent.'" "Report it to headquarters, sir, through chan- 
nels." 

Headquarters tents were then visited, and the staff 
lined up for inspection, a favorable report was rendered, 
and the inspector retired to Major Smith' s tent. 

During the next few days some of the companies 
indulged in the beginnings of skirmish drill, and on the 6th 
the regiment was once more in line for a division review on 
the parade ground by the park at 5 p. m. 

On the morning of the 9th, Colonel Durbin was, by 
General Order No. 15, made commander of the First 
Brigade, in which capacity he served until October 14. 

This same day saw the departure of the Third Nebras- 
ka. Colonel Bryan had gone some time before on a sick 
leave and his regiment was now going to Pablo Beach. 
The regiment did not move as a whole and as the men 
passed through our camp on the way to the train a portion 
of the band before the colonel's tent played them a parting 
march as they moved through in a drenching rain, and the 
next day found the One Hundred and Sixty-first with a 
supply of sentry boxes that had been put together by Ne- 
braska labor. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



71 



On the 1 2th about fifty men were sent to the Recu- 
perative Station at Pablo Beach. Lucky men! every one 
but one got a furlough home within fifteen days, and that 




Number Nine — Relief. 

one preferred to grin and bear it out in the regiment, and 
accordingly returned. The same morning saw the depart- 
ure of the Second Mississippi Regiment, which left a brigade 
of one regiment only in the camp. It was the privilege of 
the One Hundred and Sixty-first to clean up the camping 
site of the departing regiment, and after gathering out any 
lumber that could be advantageously used all else was 
burned, the city authorities took up the water pipes and 
the ground was left clean but forsaken. The Third Ne- 
braska sent a detail back from Pablo to do this work on 
the ground they left, but of all camps that needed cleaning 
the one left by the First South Carolina needed it most; the 



72 HISTORY OF THE 

condition of men and camp on the day of departure was a 
fit matter of report to General Barclay by Major Megrew, 
field officer of the day; that some had more sickness than 
the One Hundred and Sixty-first is not strange in view of 
the contrast between their camp conditions; it was a mat- 
ter of self protection that took a detail from the Indiana 
regiment into the filth and foul smelling odor left behind 
by these Carolina troops, and set fire to everything that 
would burn and filled all their sinks with sand. 

There is no question but that the idea of burning gar- 
bage instead of burying it is an excellent health preserva- 
tive, and the "Backus Garbage Burner" will always in- 
variably connect itself with the health status of the regi- 
ment. It is generally supposed that water will extinguish 
fire, but the lieutenant-colonel declared that the only 
thing science revealed was that when water and fire came 
together, one of the two would be consumed, from which 
he deduced the idea that if he had enough fire he could 
burn water. A little search revealed an old engine boiler 
made of heavy iron and lying rejected in the yards of Mer- 
rill Steven's Engineering Company in the city. . 

The necessary purchase was made and the mammoth 
concern hauled to the rear of camp and there set up as 
shown by the accompanying illustration. A mighty fire 
that would have put the old time infernal regions to shame 
was there created and the colonel saia " Bring on your 
garbage." Every thing that goes to make up slop was then 
brought, potato peeling, bread refuse, hardtack, tm cans, 
coffee leavings, dish water and all its other wet ingredients 
and into the fiery furnace it went; the flames licked up the 
water, then consumed the dry stuff and ended by burning 
up the ashes, while its designer looked on with a com- 
placent smile. The garbage was dumped in above, the 
machine operated twice a day and consumed a half load of 



> 
o 

a 

w 

O 

> 

CO 

> 
o 
w 

W 

w 

» 




74 HISTORY OF THE 

wood at each operation. The institution was presented to 
the Third Division Hospital on the regiment's departure 
and a somewhat smaller one procured at Savannah which 
did service throughout the stay in Cuba, where the locomo- 
tive was fired by Harry Rider, of Company F. 

For ten days after the 12th nothing of note occurred 
save the faithful work of the men at drill. Every morn- 
ing from 7 till 9 battalion drills were on, and a regi- 
mental parade for every afternoon at 4:30. In looking back 
upon the work of these early days and upon the continual 
marching in review at " port arms " before the colonel one 
may discover the chief reason for that degree of excellence 
afterwards attained. It was not meant to pass in silence 
the narrow escape of our old friend Newton Burke, the 
wagonmaster; may he live long and prosper; his laugh was a 
cross betweeen a bantum cackle, a horse neigh and a sheep 
bleat; you can tell him in the next world if you're near him 
and he takes a notion to laugh. Others had escapes; Good- 
rich just missed a cork leg; the chaplain a swampy grave 
and Stott a humiliating death in the presence of the com- 
mand, all on account of a horse — the first two from inferior 
horsemanship, but to manage the steed that Stott rode took 
skill and strength that few possess. Every one has seen 
the picture of Sheridan in his daring ride so highly tragic 
as he dashed along the line of his command, but Phil wasn't 
in it with Stott. He was mounted on "Kaki." Every- 
one knows Kaki and knows that if he cou-ld speak he could 
tell some ancient tales, but the way he flew up and down 
the lines that day was most surprising to Stott and made 
him think seriously of resigning his commission and joining 
the Rough Riders. But Newton Burke's experience beat 
them all. You see, Newton was the new wagonmaster, and, 
before the corral equipments came, had a few days of leisure 
and would see the wonderful country into which he had 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 7S 

come. Now, Newton should have known better than to get 
on Pete (pronounced as two syllables) for Pete would do any- 
thing for Sam Kahn and knew that Sam and Newton didn't 
get along very well, and consequently had it in for Newton;, 
he couldn't dump the old man outright, for his purpose 
would have been too apparent, and so waited an occasion 
which came when a neighboring regimental band began 
playing as Pete and Newton were going along a ditch by 
the railroad. Now, Pete didn't do a thing to Newton but 
roll down the ditch and light on Newton with enough force 
to break his rib, and the latest is, that Newton got even 
with Pete by applying for a pension for being kicked by a 
government mule. 

September was a month of noted camp improvement. 
The latter part of the first week's work was begun on 
the guard-house and ended by erecting a veritable prison,, 
which the men called the bastile, and a cut of which is on 
another page. Prior to its construction the men were 
lodged in the assembly tent, and called it a snap; but when 
put in the bastile the thing was different, and yet how 
seemingly strange that some men were willing to spend 
much of their time there rather than make an effort to be 
a good soldier. 

About the middle of the month the bath-houses were 
built, one for each battalion, and a little later, one for 
headquarters; then the mess-shacks were built, and the 
necessary work of this character at an end; provision for 
comfort, cleanliness and sanitary conditions had been 
made, but work did not stop here. Improvements contin- 
ued; early in the month two poles were spliced, making 
one of enormous length, and raised before headquarters to 
bear the regimental flag, and at reveille and retreat the 
stars and stripes were raised and lowered as long as Camp 
Cuba Libre lasted. This ceremony is at once beautiful 



y6 HISTORY OF THE 

and impressive, the flag going up to the music of "My 
Country, 'tis of Thee," and dropping slowly to the soft 
strains of the "Star Spangled Banner," as every man 
uncovers and lays his hat over the place of his heart. 
Witness it once and you will know the American loves his 
flag. Around the base of this pole was a seven-pointed 
star-shaped frame, filled with fresh sawdust from the mill, 
which, when the new pole was raised after the storm had 
broken the first one, was replaced by a mortar star, cov- 
ered over with a pure white coat, imprinted with the name 
of the regiment's brigade and division. Later in the 
month, on the 19th, was begun the rustic fence running to 
the right of the regiment and bearing in letters, made from 
limbs, the regimental and battalion designations; the tall 
pines standing in the camp were dressed in a coat of white- 
wash ; the walks along the officers' quarters were covered with 
sawdust, every visible root was grubbed up and the utmost 
pains taken in policing the ground, and when the end of 
the month was near and the news came that the honorable 
secretary of war was about to visit the corps, the camp of 
the One Hundred and Sixty-first was ready for any man's 
inspection. 

General Alger's visit to the Camp Cuba Libre was a 
notable event for the Seventh Army Corps and for the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana. The general was 
accompanied to the city by Surgeon-General Sternberg and 
General M. L Luddington, quartermaster-general. The 
First and Second Division hospitals were inspected and 
the divisions reviewed; it was after four o'clock when the 
general and his party reached the Third Division hospital 
in the rear of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
camp. Not content to allow the surgeon to make these 
inspections alone. General Alger accompanied him, and 
together they walked through every ward on the grounds, 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 7/ 

making inquiry as to needs and conditions, and speaking 
words of kindness and encouragement to the boys who were 
sick. The sun was going down as the general left the hos- 
pital and walked over into the camp of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana. He gave only a casual glance at 
the white-washed trees and the well-made sawdust side- 
walks but passed to the rear of the camp. It was on this 
occasion that he pronounced those words which caused the 
eyes of the whole Seventh Army Corps to turn upon the 
regiment from Indiana. He said the camp was "a marvel 
of neatness" and pronounced it a "revelation." It was 
dark when the Honorable Secretary of War reached the 
parade grounds to watch the Third Division pass in review 
before him; it was perhaps the only review of its kind ever 
held, and was a most interesting .spectacle to the people 
who waited impatiently for the general to come; the moon 
was vainly endeavoring to get from behind the hazy clouds 
and was barely successful in keeping total darkness from 
covering the scene. One regiment could hardly be distin- 
guished from another as they passed before the distin- 
guished visitor, but there was one regiment different from 
all the rest, and when it had passed the general said to its 
commanding officer, ''Colonel Durbin, that is the finest 
regiment I have ever seen.'' After the infantry came the 
cavalry and the pack mules, which latter afforded great 
amusement for the visitors as they kicked up their heels 
and dust and broke away in double time toward the corral 
which they much preferred to passing in review before the 
distinguished guest from Washington. 

It is needless here to comment upon the satisfaction 
to officers and men caused by General Agler's commenda- 
tion of the camp and of the regiment. It shows duty well 
done and hard honest effort made to bring honor to the 
great commonwealth from which we came and we have a. 
right to be proud of the record. 



CHAPTER V. 



CAMP CUBA LIBRE. 

October 1-23, '98. 
October was ushered in by a Saturday that brought 
its usual inspection and accompanying quiet while the men 
lounged around in the shade, or strolled away to the river. 
The sky was a little overcast in the afternoon and no one 
would have been surprised if an ordinary storm had blown 
down upon us, but as night drew its sable gown around us 
and the men lay down to sleep, none ever dreamed of the 
things he should behold on the morrow; but the fact was 
that a hurricane had arisen in the West Indies and was 
fast sweeping toward us over the south Atlantic coast. 
The storm struck us in the "wee small hours" of the 
night; the flags began their slap bang crack as the wind 
blew "great guns," and the rain poured down in torrents; 
the poles creaked, the tents swayed and the ropes tugged 
at the pegs, but they stood it well; yet a few went down in 
the night and their contents were blown over Duaval 
county, while a few hats were supposed to have crossed 
the St. Johns river. No one could sleep and either lay or 
sat up in their tent, expecting every moment to be buried 
beneath the groaning canvas. At 5 A. m. the storm abated 
and all hands were out to see the sights. It was a dismal 
scene that met the eye, but even while the men were talk- 
ing of the night's experience, the elements began returning 
in all their fury; this time every blast that blew discounted 
one hundred fold anything the night had seen. The storm 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



79 



seemed to grow fiercer with every passing moment; the tall 
pines moaned and strained their fiber as their tops came 
bowing to the ground, the flag-pole snapped and falling 
struck Sergeant Major Starr across the back a glancing 
blow that saved his life. One after the other the tents went 
down; the huge assembly tent was torn in shreds as the 
angry wind first blew it down and then played so fiercely 
underneath it; the wet soil had gathered tight around the 
pegs, but the houses were built on sand and true to proph- 
ecy fell. There was no waiting on orderlies then, but 
every man's hand was turned to save his property, and, 
while so engaged word came of needed help at the Third 




Storm Scene at Third Division Hospital. 

Division hospital. At once more men than could be used 
left their tents to the mercy of the wind, and went to 
render heroic service in caring for their sick comrades. By 



80 HISTORY OF THE 

reason of their size the hospital tents were harder to keep 
from going down, but they were held in place by main- 
strength at the ropes while firmer fastenings were secured. 
Everything in camp was drenched and the men were cold,, 
tired and hungry. Although the storm was abated by 
I p. M. , a strong and threatening wind blew all day, and 
fearful of another night of similar experience, the colonel 
made arrangements with the Florida Central & Peninsula 
railroad to furnish passenger coaches for the comfort of the 
men and when they came out in the evening many of the 
men availed themselves of this opportunity to secure a 
good night's rest after the stormy events of that gloomy but 
stirring October day. 

On the 3rd the new hospital mentioned on another page 
and prompted by the generous impulse of Colonel Dur- 
bin, was begun and certainly did prove a blessing to the 
men who so quickly exhausted its accommodations. About 
this time a skin concern sent its advance agent into the 
camp with a proposition to take its convalescents and men 
with that tired feeling "down the St. John's river for an 
airing." The price was to be seventy-five cents per man 
and a fine clamchowder, coffee and ham sandwich dinner 
free for every man who went. The boat, a fair vessel with 
" Crescent" written on its prow, left the docks at Cum- 
mer's mill at 9:30 o'clock with two hundred and fifty men 
of the described character on board. The chaplain in^ 
charge gave the management credit for honesty, supposed 
the wonderful dinner was being held in reserve for the 
men, although sandwiches and coffee were being sold with, 
marvelous rapidity at ten cents each, and when dinner time 
came the firm was very sorry but everything was gone but 
chowder, some sort of a red pepper solution through which 
a clam may possibly have crawled on his pinchers so ele- 
vated that the real thing never touched the water. It was 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 51 

also evident that instead of taking the men out for their 
health they were taken out for a drunk, as beer and whisky 
were being sold freely; the bar was, however, ordered closed 
and a guard put over it. The boat finally arrived at Mayport 
an old stuck-in-the-sand town that betrays its beautiful 
name, where there was plenty of whiskey but not a thing 
to eat but dried beef and crackers. Lieutenant Johnson 
told the management the opinion of honest people in a very 
emphatic way, and the vessel was boarded for return and 
we came back a hungry, tired but wiser crowd with only 
one man wet outside and he fell off the dock in an effort to 
walk the gang plank. The following day the regiment was 
rejoicing in pay day and on the 7th the colonel was in 
possession of communications authorizing him to have his 
regiment ready to move to Savannah, from which point it 
was expected embarkation would be made for Cuba. 
Anywhere to get away from Jacksonville. Its people had 
been kind and many soldiers will always remember grate- 
fully their introduction into the families and treatment by 
the good people of that place, but they were anxious to 
leave. Just what the Savannah trip meant they did not 
know — grape-vines were sprouting — an immediate departure 
for Cuba, a winters stay in Georgia — getting ready for 
muster out — but news of such a definite character was 
enough to fill the men with new life, for a volunteer hates 
stagnation and that is what the continued camp life at 
Camp Cuba Libre was, and so the men waited eagerly for 
orders to pack. 

It was on the 7th that the post exchange was opened 
for business, the officer in charge being Lieutenant Hanson 
G. Freeman, Company M, Lawrenceburg. Sergeant C. 
B. Owens, Company G, was detailed as sergeant in charge 
and manager. Privates Will A. Taylor, Company M, and 
Otto Beard, Company C, were detailed as clerks. The 



82 HISTORY OF THE 

regiment having no funds to purchase goods with, the first 
bill, amounting to one hundred dollars, was bought on ten 
days' time but was paid off within five days after date of 
purchase, this being the only bill contracted for and not 
paid upon delivery during the entire existence of post 
exchange. 

The line of goods handled were always of the choicest 
quality, consisting of fruits in season, canned and bottled 
goods, cakes, crackers, fresh pies, nuts, candies, cigars, 
tobaccos, smokers' articles in general. The drinks served 
being soda water, lemonade, ginger ale and Hire's root 
beer; no intoxicants whatever were sold or handled in any 
way. From starting out with an origin^.l invoice of one 
hundred dollars, the stock on hand at different times would 
invoice two thousand dollars. Dividends would be declared 
monthly derived from the profits of the post exchange and 
distributed to the different companies of the regiment, the 
band, non-commission and hospital mess. The largest dis- 
tribution for one month amounted to eight hundred and 
sixty dollars, this being in the month of March at Camp 
Columbus, Havana, Cuba. Lieutenant Freeman being the 
regimental commissary, asked to be relieved as officer of 
post exchange. Lieutenant Paul Comstock was appointed 
January 15, 1899, to take the place made vacant by Lieuten- 
ant Freeman. No changes were made in the force employed. 
The largest day's receipts amounted to three hundred and 
fifteen dollars. Total amount of cash given to regiment 
in the six months and ten days of its existence amounted 
to $2,460.00, besides other donations to the regiment 
amounting to about seventy-five dollars being made. The 
loss incurred in moving camps by reason of theft or other- 
wise amounted to five hundred dollars. 

One feature of the business in Cuba was the purchase 
of oranges in bulk by the wagon load, from five thousand ta 



84 HISTORY OF THE 

six thousand being required to fill one of our army wagons. 
The wholesale prices of this luscious fruit ranged from 
five dollars to fourteen dollars per thousand, according to 
quality and quantity on the market. The first month in 
Cuba the post exchange handled eighty thousand oranges. 

Great credit is due both to Sergeant Owens for his 
careful management and to private Will Taylor for his 
long and faithful service as clerk. 

The first target practice of the regiment occurred on 
October 8. In the afternoon the regiment went to the 
rifle range and each company was assigned to two targets, 
and supplied with a thousand rounds of cartridges. Now 
was the time to put in practice the instructions given by 
that officer of the regular army who gathered the commis- 
sioned and non-commissioned officers of the regiment in 
the assembly tent and told them how to shoot; carefully 
calculating the distance, the resistance of the air and the 
parabola of the bullet they pulled the trigger; the old 
Springfields banged back into their shoulders with a ven- 
geance that made them blue; the men looked for the red 
signals, but the target keepers generally forgot to wave 
them; occasionally a red sign would appear and describe 
now a horizontal and now a perpendicular or perchance a 
circle each of which every man that fired declared meant a 
" bull's eye." The regiment returned at 6:30 p. m., and a 
few days later marched again to the range, but found that 
an order had been issued declaring the practice stopped. 

The drills were now being carried out at greater 
length, but the monotony of the wearisome "column 
right" and "left front into line," "to the rear" and 
"right forward fours right" and other preliminary move- 
ments was broken by the more interesting and less exhaust- 
ing skirmish drill, the men dodging about in the bushes, 
stooping around by twos and fours, and little groups snap- 



86 HISTORY OF THE 

ping their rifles and making charges on an unseen enemy 
with yells that would scare the life out of a whole tribe of 
Sioux Indians. 

The iith of the month brought with it another divi- 
sion review. General Hubbard, the division commander, 
was about to leave, and the review of this day was not only 
his last but it was the last time before leaving Camp Cuba 
Libre that the regiment was to be reviewed other than by 
itself, and when it was over the men fell back into the rou- 
tine of the life to which they were by this time so well 
accustomed, and wondered when the order was to come in 
definite shape for the move to Savannah; this order, how- 
ever, was delayed on account of the coming visit of the 
Washington board of inspectors. This board consisted of 
Evan P. Howell, of Atlanta; Charles Denby, of Indiana; 
Colonel James A. Sexton, of Illinois; D. C. Oilman, presi- 
dent of Johns Hopkins University; Dr. W. W. Keen, of 
Philadelphia, and General Grenville M. Dodge, of New 
York, and was appointed by President McKinley to investi- 
gate charges pertaining to the sanitary conditions of the 
army. The party arrived at noon on the 17th, and pro- 
ceeded at once to the camps of the corps. They examined 
the sinks, and the baths, and the bakeries and the commis- 
sary stores, and thoroughly inspected the condition of 
every corral, the report returned to the president being on 
the whole a favorable one. 

The following day, at regimental review, General 
Hubbard was present and witnessed the parade, after 
which the regiment marched to his quarters, and forming 
in column of masses tendered him an appropriate farewell. 

The closing scenes of Camp Cuba Libre were enliv- 
ened by many an evening spent around the "camp fire" 
during the cool October nights of our last week on the 
banks of the St. John's river. The men of the various 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 8/ 

companies were wont to gather round a blazing fire of pine 
knots and while away the long evenings with song and jest, 
and many a song of love and home was wafted on the soft 
winds that blew up from the old ocean. This was an 
every night occurrence; but now and then a general 
"camp fire" would be held, and around the huge fire a 
great circle would be formed, and in the light of the blaze 
the best talent of the regiment would entertain the boys 
and officers till "taps." Amateur boxers donned the 
gloves and administered the "solar plexus," Rudy gave 
his "coon" song and "nigger" dance; Jacobs did his 
"turn," and Sergeant Wolf delighted the assembled sol- 
diers with his sweet voice. Will those evenings ever be 
forgotten, whiled away under the tall graceful pine trees 
and the beautiful night skies of Florida.^ They were the 
green spots in the Jacksonville desert, and will grow dear 
as the years go by "and fond recollections present them to 
view. " 

On the 2ist the order came directing the First Brigade, 
Second Division, to which, upon the corps reorganiza- 
tion, the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana had been 
assigned, to repair to Savannah on the evening of October 
23, Sunday, of course. 

On the night of this same day just after "taps" the 
camp was aroused by the cry of fire; the guard on post 
near the railroad platform discovered a small blaze in a 
heap of rubbish in one of the abandoned stands near the 
regiment; he promptly gave the alarm and the guard 
assisted by numbers of the men of the regiment attempted 
to save the adjoining buildings but to no purpose as the 
light dry pine burned fiercely and the buildings were soon 
consumed. The pine trees near by caught fire and added 
luster to the scene and all the night around us was made 
as bright as the day while dense volumes of pitch black 



88 HISTORY OF THE 

smoke rolled up to make the heavens darker above us; the 
whole affair made a very respectable bonfire. The 22nd 
was a day of packing such as the day before our departure 
from Camp Mount had witnessed and with the dawn of the 
23rd the business of getting out began. At 9 o'clock the 
signal sounded for the tents to fall and in three seconds 
every tent was flat. The freight was in and near the camp 
and by 6 o'clock was loaded and ready to leave and soon 
thereafter the men were ready also but it became evident 
that a wait was in store for the regiment and as darkness 
began to fall camp fires were lighted and every one tried to 
make themselves as comfortable as possible. A little of 
this would have sufficed as the men were tired and supper- 
less save the hardtack and such cold lunch as could be pro- 
cured. The camp ground of the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first presented a scene that night that will be one of the 
lingering memories. Every company had from three to four 
fires as the nights were cold and all must be warm. There 
was a camp fire at Major Megrew's quarters and one where 
the colonel's tent had stood; many of the buildings had 
been reduced to lumber for transportation but plenty were 
left to burn and everything was ignited; the kitchens and 
mess shacks that were left standing were fired one after the 
other and the very sky was illumined by the conflagration 
while the scene was enlivened by stirring music from the 
band and then the men began to stretch themselves around 
the fire to wait while the flames dispelled the darkness and 
silhouetted their resting forms on the sand of Florida that 
was soon to be left forever. At 12:15 a. m. the first train 
came in and the first section, under command of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Backus and composed of the First Battalion and 
Companies B and F of the Second, went on board 
and started; Major Megrew also accompanied this section. 
The rest of the regiment waited till 2:30 a. m, before their 



o 

c; 
a 
> 

r 

3 

SI 




90 HISTORY OF THE 

transportation arrived and hungry and sleepy were soon 
following the others on their way to the new camp at 
Savannah. 

A few days previous to our departure the regiment had 
been assigned to its new position in the Seventh Army 
Corps, which had on the 21st been reorganized as follows: 

CAVALRY BRIGADE. 

Seventh United States Cavalry. 
Eighth United States Calvary. 

FIRST DIVISION. 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

First Texas Infantry. 
Second Louisiana Infantry. 
Third Nebraska Infantry. 

SECOND BRIGADE. 

Ninth Illinois Infantry. 

Second South Carolina Infantry. 

Fourth Illinois Infantry. 

SECOND DIVISION. 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Infantry. 
Second Illinois Infantry. 
First North Carolina Infantry. 

SECOND BRIGADE. 

Fourth Virginia Infantry. 
Forty-ninth Iowa Infantry. 
Sixth Missouri Infantry. 



CHAPTER VI. 



CAMP ONWARD. 

Savannah, October 24-December 12, '98. 
When the first section arrived at Savannah at 9 a. m. 
the next morning it found the regimental impedimenta one 
hour in advance and Captain West's force busily engaged 
in getting the horses and mules out on "terra firma. " In 
the unloading of the remaining freight the record was 
broken. The quartermaster and commissary supplies were 
handled with the accustomary dispatch but the transporta- 
tion department, altogether out of harmony with the usual 
" southern hustle," got in a hurry, and backing the cars into 
the freight yard, pitched the lumber, floors, tables, bench- 
es and boxes into a confused, tumbled, jumbled-up heap 
that looked like it had been struck by a Kansas cyclone or 
a Jacksonville storm. When the second section arrived 
one and one-half hours later, like the first it was served 
with coffee at the station before starting for camp. As the 
companies marched through the city the men crowded out 
of their stores and the women out of their homes and while 
the chambermaids waved sheets or pillowslips from the sec- 
ond-story windows the daughters used their handkerchiefs 
below and the populace on the sidewalk cheered the boys 
from Indiana a welcome as they passed, and on out the 
Thunderbolt road they marched to camp and stacked arms 
on the site which was to be their " stomping ground " for 
the next seven weeks; this time the regiment was less fort- 
unate in the land reserved for them; it was low and 



■92 



HISTORY OF THE 



swampy, cut through by ditches and altogether undesirable 
for a regimental camping site; objections were made with- 
out avail and everybody prepared to make the best out of 
it. The company streets had all been staked off and an 
old dilapidated board and wire fence that ran through 
the length of Company K street was removed; a deep 
ravine ran along the right of the regiment and a large ditch 
almost through the center, which necessitated two thirds of 
the men to pass what they called " over Jordan " to affili- 
ate with members of the First Battalion; the swamp pre- 
vented the First Battalion line officers' tents from being 




Headquarters. 

pitched in their accustomary place and both these and the 
battalion commander's tent were pitched toward the road 
along which ran the staff tents with the exception of head- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 93- 

quarters which were more comfortably located in an old 
house situated nearer the company tents and which has 
since burned. The colonel's tent was used for a guard house 
until quarters were prepared, and later, in the second week 
of November, the tents occupied by the staff were moved 
near the headquarters house and in a row with the Third 
Battalion line officers. The tents were pitched without 
floors and a couple of days were passed before sufficient 
material could be rescued from the debris at the freight 
yards to furnish them with that much-needed comfort and 
the tents that were all too small under Jacksonville condi- 
tions had room enough and to spare as the boys hugged up 
in spoon fashion to pass the night. Camp construction be- 
gan at once, and while the colored men of chain and stripe 
cleaned the ditches and drained the camp the carpenters 
began their work and cook shacks sprang up along the rear 
as fast as material came in and in a week every company 
cook was under cover, bridges were built across the ditch- 
es, and after the third day the drills were on again. 

On the 27th the battalions marched to Thunderbolt, 
a Coney Island sort of a place; some of the companies fell 
out and some of the men fell in to a well stocked establish- 
ment and after waiting on themselves forgot the eighth com- 
mandment and told the men to "remember the Maine" 
for his pay; the battallions marched down past Bona- 
venture and returned along the other road by way of Dale 
Avenue drive. The next day occurred the first regimental 
formation on Georgian soil; the review, which was not the 
best ever given by the regiment, was witnessed by General 
Williston from his tent door. 

The drills began on the 29th with their usual regu- 
larity; a couple of days at close order and attention was 
devoted to the more important skirmish drill. A most 
suitable spot for extended order work was later found back of 



94 HISTORY OF THE 

the cemetery that lay near the junction of the road and 
street car track, and here in the underbrush and ravines 
and around the old Confederate breastworks the officers 
found ample room and excellent environment for scattering 
their men to the best advantage for such purpose. The 
last few days of the month brought to the line officers the 
usual burdensome necessity of getting the rolls in shape for 
monthly muster and the new month came in with the sound 
of hammer and saw at work on the commissary, bakery and 
guard house, while Anthony Montani took his sweater and 
clarionet and other articles and bid us all a fond adieu. 

The substantial structure that rose beyond the ditch to 
the regiment's right during the first week in November was 
prepared for the commissary, the bakery and the exchange, 
and was by conceded opinion the finest arranged building 
of its kind in the corps. 

Sunday was the 6th, and this day, as on other Sab- 
baths, the One Hundred and Sixty-first camp looked lonely 
by contrast; while southern regiments were swarming with 
visitors from Savannah; ours, the nearest to the city, was 
passed by with a glance over the fence; in this one respect, 
like the man who fell out of the ballon, we simply were not 
in it. Why this apparent thusness.^ is it so hard to forget? 
Let us be charitable and say they were unthoughtful, but 
Ivy said the young ladies didn't know what they were 
missing. 

The next day brought Major Wright, the colored pay- 
master. The major was assisted by his son, also colored, 
and encountered no embarrassment in disposmg to the 
officers and men of the regiment the coin which the gov- 
ernment had seen fit to entrust to his care; the major 
remarked of his respectful reception. 

In the afternoon General Green, accompanied by 
other distinguished officers of the army, reviewed the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 95 

division. The six regiments marched to an open field 
across the way from the Second Division hospital and 
stood in column of masses at attention for about thirty 
minutes while whole regi^nents of armed sand flies enjoyed 
an undisturbed picnic pestering the patience out of an 
army of men to whom military etiquette forbade interfer- 
ence, after which the division passed in review before the 
general, in whose honor it was held, before his departure 
for Cuba. 

On November 1 1 General Lee arrived at Savannah 
from his home in Virginia, where he had been in attend- 
ance at the bedside of his aged mother during her sickness, 
death and funeral, and which had necessitated an absence 
from his official duties for a period of several weeks, during 
which time the command of the corps devolved on Gen- 
eral Iveifer of the First Division. The general was 
accompanied to Savannah by Governor Tyler and a dis- 
tinguished party of Virginians, both ladies and gentlemen. 
This was his first appearance at Savannah since the arrival 
of the corps at that point, and he was given a royal wel- 
come both by the citizens of that beautiful and enterprising 
city and by his command. He immediately established his 
headquarters at the DeSota hotel and assumed command 
of the corps. One of his first official acts was the naming 
of the camp, which he designated "Camp Onward" in 
view of the onward march to Cuba. 

He immediately issued an order for a review of the 
corps, including all the troops under his command, which 
took place the following day in the city of Savannah in 
what is known as Forsythe Park Extension, and was wit- 
nessed by thousands of citizens of Savannah and neighbor- 
ing cities and surrounding country, for whom it was a gala 
occasion. Most of these people had never seen any con- 
siderable body of troops together before, and were enthusi- 



96 HISTORY OF THE 

astic in their demonstrations of approval. The One Hun- 
dred and Sixty-first Indiana was tendered httle short of an 
ovation upon its splendid appearance; its full companies, 
straight lines and excellent marching being commented upon 
for miany succeeding days by its enthusiastic admirers, who 
were numbered by the hundreds in the city of Savannah; 
the Press of the city was also effuse in its praise of the 
work of the regiment, giving it special mention in its 
account of the review and commenting at length upon its 
excellent appearance. 

The succeeding days brought with them the usual rou- 
tine of camp life, unbroken by any event of interest. On 
Sunday, 13th, the camp site was inspected by a surgical 
board; complaints of a sanitary nature had been made from 
the day the regiment first saw the grounds and were about 
to result in an exchange of position between the regiment, 
brigade and division headquarters which would have fur- 
nished excellent locations of sufficient size for all, but 
owing to the speedy departure for Cuba the inspecting 
board advised a retention of positions then held. Com- 
pany E was at this time on duty at the rifle range, having 
been detailed there the 9th of the month to superintend 
the target practice of the corps. On the i6th Companies 
A, K^, M and L went to the range for practice, the other 
companies having been there the day before; five shots at 
two hundred yards and five at three hundred were allowed 
each man, and the time was spent shooting at black Span- 
iards on boards, with results showing remarkable improve- 
ments in the art of war since the previous like experience 
at Jacksonville. 

On the 2 1 St the quartermaster unloaded before his 
store-ho^se twenty-four large boxes, and as the men 
lined up by companies each one received and was charged 
with a $11.49 navy blue brass-button caparisoned over- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 9/ 

coat. They made every man look like Napoleon,- but 
that wasn't what they were for; they were intended to 
shield the men from those cold blasts which the colonel 
told them next day at parade were sweeping over Hoosier-, 
dom and which came whizzing over the cotton belt a few 
days later and sent the men shivering to their tents right 
glad the authority was wiser than they, many of whom 
only a few days before had vigorously protested against any 
such needless and extravagant expenditure. The greater 
part of the drill during the middle portion of November 
was battalion extended order. 

Nothing of note occurred until the 24th, for which 
day the boys had been anxiously waiting and wondering 
what good thing it had in store for them. The day was 
ushered in with all the beauties of a typical autumn day 
in the south, and was given up wholly to pleasure. At 
10 o'clock in the assembly tent a most excellent sermon 
was preached by the Rev. Mr. Smith, of the city; this 
was followed at the noon hour by elaborate spreads in 
each of the twelve companies of the regiment. The 
ladies of Savannah were in the dinner serving business- 
out of most excellent motive, but on a plan hardly savor- 
ing of the generosity which could so easily have come from 
so large a populace so greatly benefited by the presence of 
so great a number of soldiers; we were to raise the money 
and they were to serve the turkey; but not out of any crit-, 
icism, but simply with the feeling that the money once 
raised the serving would be a comparatively easy and 
pleasant task, while the good ladies were already over- 
burdened with an infinite amount of the same thing, the 
colonel made the preparation and the serving of the dinner 
a strictly regimental affair. The ladies were offended, but 
a due explanation once more bridged the chasm between, 
the north and the south, and sweet harmony was restored.. 



98 HISTORY OF THE 

The boys did not have the ladies but they had warm turkey 
instead and plenty of it. One thousand one hundred 
pounds of turkey were furnished by Armour & Co., to be 
accounted for in surplus meat. There were ninety gallons 
of oysters that day; there were cranberries and celery and 
mince pies and other delicacies which appeal to the inner 
man and which go hand in hand with the day thus observed. 
For once, hardtack, bacon and canned beef was but a 
memory which the very next day arose to haunt those who 
had partaken of the feast in the shape of a life-sized reality 
and to head off any tendencies to gout by reason of the 
gormandizing of the boys the day before. Only one kick 
was registered, and that of an enlisted man who having 
disposed of nine pounds of turkey, a quart of cranberries, 
two mince pies and other edibles in proportion kicked be- 
cause his capacity for consumption went back on him at 
time so inopportune, but who was reconciled to his fate on 
hearing of the Thanksgiving dinner which the boys in the 
hospital had: poor fellows who were given a bit of turkey to 
chew, on the express condition of spitting it out just when 
it was in the best condition to swallow, and the cruel part 
about it was that some one was there to see that they did 
spit it out. In some of the officers' messes dinner, during 
which service the table fairly groaned under its load of good 
things, was postponed until evening in order, as some of the 
officers asserted, that they might "eat with the boys" but 
which knowing ones assert they did by reason of the fact 
that visions of two good dinners were in sight. The afternoon 
was given over to a diversity of amusements upon which 
the boys were privileged to attend; many cheered the picked 
baseball nine of our regiment while it secured a victory 
over a similarly chosen nine from the First North Carolina 
on the parade ground of our regiment; others attended the 
shooting match between picked teams of the best shots from 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 99 

the Seventh Army Corps and the Savannah Gun Club at the 
rifle range of the latter east of the camp; still others wit- 
ness the football game in which an eleven from the Second 
Louisianas contested for supremacy with the First Texas 
Knights of the Gridiron at the City ball park; not a few at- 
tended the matinee at the Savannah Theater or saw the 
Rough Riders in their exhibition at Thunderbolt. 

The day ended most auspiciously in the evening when 
some of the ladies of Savannah gave an elocutionary and 
musical entertainment in the assembly tent at which some 
of the best talent in the city appeared in the various num- 
bers, a favor highly commendable and thoroughly appre- 
ciated; and thus the entire day was one joyous occasion 
that will long be remembered by every man in the regi- 
ment. 

The aforesaid festivities were followed on November 
25th by a sham battle between the two brigades of the Sec- 
ond Division; the First Brigade was assigned to a position 
behind the huge earthworks thrown up east of Savannah 
for the protection of the city at the time of Sherman's 
famous march to the sea; the works in question remain 
intact although overgrown to a considerable extent by for- 
est trees and shrubbery and are a grim reminder of the 
fruits of war in the terrible strife of '6i to '65. To hold 
these works against the attack of the Second Brigade was 
the duty assigned to the First Brigade; previous to leaving 
camp both brigades were supplied liberally with blank cart- 
ridges; the Second Brigade was given one hour's start of the 
First in which to afford them ample time to reconnoiter and 
decide upon their mode of attack; the First Brigade, with 
band playing and banners unfurled to the breeze marched 
out and took possession of the earth works and awaited the 
report of the scouts sent out in all directions to locate, if 
possible, the enemy and their probable mode of attack; in 



lOO HISTORY OF THE 

the meantime the firing line was established and supports 
and reserves held in readiness, the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first Indiana being assigned to the firing line; in about one 
hour the sounds of occasional shots about one and one-half 
miles to our front indicated that our scouts had been dis- 
covered and were being driven in; shortly afterward they 
could be distinguished across the open country directly to 
our front through the undergrowth just beyond, hastily 
retreating, closely pressed by an under fire of the advance 
guard of the enemy; re-inforcements to cover their retreat 
were now sent out; the scouts having reached the edge of 
the open space between the enemy and the earthworks, 
took advantage of such protection as the country afforded 
firing as they came; having advanced to a sufficient distance 
to be no longer endangered by a fire from the earthworks, 
and a company of the enemy in close order formatoin 
having needlessly exposed itself about three-quarters of a 
mile directly to our front. Major Peterson, of the Third 
Battalion of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana, 
which occupied the center of the works, with the Second 
Illinois on our extreme right, and the Carolinas on our left, 
ordered the squads of his battalion on the firing line to fire 
by volley on the company thus exposed and which must 
necessarily have been riddled in actual engagement, which 
opinion the commander of the company in question evi- 
dently shared, for he immediately changed his formation 
■from a close to an open order; re-inforcements quickly came 
up and the enemy continued to advance under heavy fire 
which now became general on both sides; they were prac- 
tically subdued even before the support was ordered to 
the firing line, and with the result that much of the reserve 
of the First Brigade did not fire a single shot, although the 
entire force of the enemy was hurled against the works;, 
needless to assert that the enemy was called off the field 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. lOI 

by the judges of the occasion, competent officials of the 
regular army, and the battle awarded to the First Brigade 
as having thoroughly and effectively protected their 
entrenchments. 

During the succeeding few days the overcoats which 
had been issued a week previous were very much in 
demand, the temperature having fallen very perceptively, 
together with cold, drizzling rains, accompanied by biting 
blasts, which heralded the coming of one of the severest 
winters known in the south and throughout the states; woe 
to the luckless soldier whose finance was such that he could 
not possess the luxury of an oil stove; during the day he 
borrowed a warm-up from his more fortunate comrade or 
huddled up in his overcoat, backed up against a tree on the 
windless side in order that the full energy of the sun's rays 
might be spent to the best possible advantage in heighten- 
ing the temperature of his anatomy; darkness overtaking 
him he huddled around a convenient camp fire in the com- 
pany street, and at taps crawled between blankets and 
piled upon him all the sundry articles in his possession, 
such as trowsers, old shoes, socks, collar buttons and neck- 
ties, without even the formality of removing his hat, much 
less any other article of his wearing apparel. The quarter- 
master's ability to supply the demand for blankets was 
taxed to its utmost and he and his chief clerk were the 
most sought after individuals in camp. 

The only instance of note to mar the monotony of the 
period thus intervening was the issuance of the new United 
States magazine rifle, which occurred on the 28th; the rifle 
in question includes all the meritorious points of the Krag- 
Jorgensen, together with the improvements adopted by the 
government; the men were highly pleased and they relin- 
quished with pleasure the old Springfields with which they 
had been armed. 



102 HISTORY OF THE 

On the morning of the 30th occurred a regimental in- 
spection that was the first and last of its kind. The regi- 
ment was lined up in heavy marching order and with open 
ranks while the colonel and members of his staff with 
polished boots and white gloved hands marched before 
them, between them and behind them while the colonel re- 
minded them of neglected points of military toilet and 
attire and the officers made explanations of the same in 
writing after which the regiment passed in review and mus- 
ter for pay began. 

On the same day the new recruits began to arrive. 
The One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana was the only 
regiment granted the privilege of recruiting at so late a 
date, which partially accounts for the unusually large com- 
panies that so pleased the visitors when this regiment 
passed before them in the parades and reviews down in 
Cuba. On November 5th Captain Stott was sent for this 
purpose to Indianapolis, the mustering-out place of the 
earlier regiments; he found only the One Hundred and Fifty- 
ninth, a very much discouraged lot of men and the work 
of recruiting went hard; all told one hundred and three 
men were secured, the larger number of whom left Indian- 
apolis on the 28th, the others starting a few days later 
and arriving during the first four days of December. Sixty- 
nine of those who arrived on the 30th were mustered for 
pay after they stood for a short time in line before the old 
headquarters building and listened to a few words of wel- 
come and advice from their new colonel; the others were 
mustered on arrival. 

The officers of the regiment were thus kept busy dur- 
ing the remaining days of the month arming the troops and 
in the preparation of the pay rolls for the month of Novem- 
ber. On the morning of the 30th regimental review pre- 
ceded the muster for pay and in the evening at regimental 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. IO3 

parade Major M. R. Peterson, of the Third Battalion, sev- 
ered his official connection with the regiment, his resigna- 
tion having been accepted by the department at Washing- 
ton that he might resume his duties in the regular army. 
His battalion having taken the assigned place on the parade 
ground, Colonel Durbin requested the major to take the 
position of honor on the right of the commanding officer of 
the regiment, who then proceeded in a few well-chosen 
words to express the regret of the entire command at los- 
ing such an efficient and painstaking officer. Major Peter- 
son responded feelingly, expressing his regret at his enforced 
leavetaking and his best wishes for the future welfare of 
the regiment; the regiment having passed in review he 
assumed command of his battalion and in the battalion 
street formally took leave of the offices and men of his 
companies. 

On the following evening at regimental parade Major 
Lee M. Olds, past captain of Company A, occupied the 
post of honor on the right of Colonel Durbin, who, in the 
presence of the regiment, formally presented the new major 
with his commission issued to him by the governor of Indiana 
after which he reviewed the regiment. It was the next day 
the information became current that the Second Divis— ■ 
ion was to start in a few days for Cuba and Colonel 
Durbin was notified to have his regiment ready to 
move by the following Tuesday. During the forenoon 
of the 5th the regiment took a pleasant march to Savan- 
nah's noted " City of the dead." Bonaventure is said 
to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in America and 
the history and romance connected with it make it doubly 
interesting; the estate, first owned in colonial times by an 
English nobleman, was sold to John Mulryn, whose only 
daughter was given in marriage to Josiah Tatnall and the 
union was typified by planting those now aged and hoary 



104 



HISTORY OF THE 



live-oaks in a monogram comprising the letters " M " and 
" T " still traceable in the shape of the sylvan aisles between 
the stately trees. Josiah Tatnall was a great soldier, serv- 




ing in the wars of 1812 and of 1846 and was commander of 
the Merrimac in its battle with the Monitor. He became 
governor of Georgia and lies buried to-day in Bonaventure 
near the spot of his birth. The place is full of sacred asso- 
ciations and its gigantic trees, hung with their long hoary 
moss tresses, seem to speak of mourning and of weeping. 

In view of the fact that the Second Division was to 
move so soon, an order for the last corps review on Amer- 
ican soil previous to our departure was issued by General 
Lee. December 6, the day designated, was a delightful 
one for the occasion; all business was practically suspended 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. IO5 

in the city during the review, and the residents of Savan- 
nah gathered by thousands at Forsythe, the park extension, 
to witness the imposing spectacle. On this occasion, as on 
November 12, the review was a complete success, in which 
the One Hundred and Sixty-first added to its already envi- 
able reputation, again securing special mention in the press 
of Savannah. 

Right in the center of this great field of flashing steel 
and union blue was the statue of a confederate soldier stand- 
ing erect on his handsome pedestal. He gave no sign of 
interest in the passing of so many thousands of soldiers; 
he saw the stars and stripes go by, but did not uncover; 
he watched General Lee ride past on his handsome gray 
charger, but did not bring his gun from parade rest; many 
a soldier wondered what he thought of it all, but we 
-venture that he was glad to see the Yankees from the north 
and the sturdy western boys marching with proud step 
side by side with the men from Virginia and the Carolinas, 
and in it saw the evidence of a reunited nation, grand and 
great, and rejoiced with them in the mission they were 
going to accomplish. 

Upon the return to camp the initial preparation for 
departure began, as the arrival of the transport was daily 
expected. The company tents were to be left, and all 
officers' tents were taken with one exception. Captain 
■Guthrie was highly elated over an ingenious contrivance 
ior heating his tent; he knew what destruction a lamp had 
caused before, but scorning experience he passed many a 
comfortable night while his less ingenious fellow officers 
were breathing hard to warm the space underneath the 
-covers. The midnight hour of December 8 had passed 
when the explosion came which covered the captain and 
everything inside with burning oil. Unlike the men of 
another fire who came out unsinged, the commander of 



io6 



HISTORY OF THE 



Company I came forth bearing the marks of his disaster, 
which disappeared in a day or so and left him as good as 
new, but the tent and most of its contents never went to 
Cuba. On the 8th Colonel Durbin assumed command of 
the brigade. The Mobile arrived late in the evening of 
the 9th, and all the day following all floors and building. 




Packing Up — Camp Onward. 

the reduction of which to lumber form had occupied several 
days previous, were hauled to the wharf, and during the 
forenoon of the I2th the wagons of the Forty-ninth Iowa 
and Fourth Virginia, which were at the regiment's service, 
its own and its mules having been put aboard the Rou- 
mania, bound for Cuba on the 8th, hauled the regimental 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. lO/ 

baggage to the docks, and shortly after the noon hour on 
December 12 the regiment broke camp, and at i p. m. the 
march to the docks began, arriving about 3 o'clock. 
Owing to the ample facilities for the loading of both troops 
and baggage on the transport Mobile, now the Sherman, 
there was little delay in getting all on board. In addition 
to the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana there was 
aboard the vessel one battalion and the band of the Second 
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, one or two companies of the 
signal corps, one company of the Fourth Virginia Volunteer 
Infantry, the Seventh Army Corps provost guard. General 
Williston with a portion of his staff and many other officers 
and men of various detachments, in all to the number of 
probably two thousand souls with baggage and supplies in 
endless quantities. Colonel Durbin being in command of 
the troops, and Colonel Backus being executive officer of 
the boat, Major Megrew was in command of the regiment. 
All men and officers being detained on board, the evening 
was spent in conversation, and at an early hour all were in 
their berths and bunks. The vessel lay alongside the dock 
until morning, and at 7 A. M. on the morning of the 13th 
the tug Marguarite started the great vessel down the 
river, cutting loose at 9:30; after fifteen minutes more 
the Estill took the pilot from us and we started on a calm 
sea toward the " Pearl of the Antilles." 

The Mobile is an English-built vessel, and was for- 
merly a freighter and cattle vessel. She was purchased 
from the Atlantic Transport Company by the United Statqs 
government and refitted for the purpose of carrying troops. 
She is a twin-screw steamer capable of making seventeen 
knots an hour. The dining-room and officers' quarters are 
roomy and well furnished, while the men were provided 
with comfortable beds of wire springs and cotton mattresses 
arranged in tiers three in height. The Georgia shores 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



109 



having been lost to view, no land was sighted until the 
following morning. At 1 1 o'clock the first and each suc- 
ceeding day inspection of quarters was held; every man 




" Mobile " — Off for Cuba. 



was ordered below and proper inspection made as to clean- 
liness and ventilation. 

Major Smith, of the First North Carolina, assisted by 
Major Longstreet, division commissary officer, and Lieu- 
tenant Welsh, of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana, 
was in charge of the distribution of rations; three times a day 
the men were served with warm meals. Details from each 
company went into the kitchen, the food when cooked was 
placed on tables and the men, two companies at a time, 
filed by and receiving their portion ate it wherever most 



I lO HISTORY OF THE 

agreeable within limits of their restriction, The two thou- 
sand men were fed in about forty-five minutes. 

During the entire next day the vessel steamed along 
with the sandy beaches of Florida plainly in sight; at 10:45 
A. M. we passed Palm Beach and as darkness again set in 
we were nearing the southern coast of the peninsular state; 
the last light-house on the Florida keys was sighted at 9 p. 
M. ; the keys were passed during the night and at daybreak 
no land was visible until about 8 o'clock when the 
shores of the stricken island for which we were bound could 
be dimly discerned in the distance; arriving off Havana we 
cruised in the waters of the gulf to a point opposite what 
was afterward the site of our camp, waiting for a pilot to 
take us ashore when orders were received from General 
Green directing us to come in to the Havana harbor for the 
purpose of disembarkation; at about 10 o'clock the Mobile 
entered the mouth of Havana harbor directly under the 
guns of the famous Morro. 

As we glided along through the narrow entrance to 
the harbor, the frowning guns of old Morro and the 
antiquated fortress, Punta, hovering over us, as it were, on 
either side, not unlike the vultures which soared in count- 
less hundreds, to our front, to our rear, above us and in 
all directions, the scene was absolutely indescribable and 
beggars description. Every nook and corner which afforded 
standing room on the walls of Moro Cubannas or the 
Punta was crowded with Spanish soldiers looking down on 
us, silent and sullen. Every house-top, balcony or win- 
dow, the shores, docks and vessels in the harbor, were 
thronged with multitudes of a strange looking people rep- 
resenting almost every nationality of the earth, a condition 
existing in all tropical countries. The cheers of the two 
thousand of Uncle Sam's boys on board the transport who 
thronged the upper decks or balanced themselves in the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



I I I 



rigging of the vessel, when the two bands on the ship struck 
up " My Country 'Tis of Thee" was answered in a no un- 
certain manner by the foreigners on shore and ship. 




MoRRO Castle. 

Steaming thus slowly down the harbor, the climax was 
reached when we hove in sight of the wreck of the Maine, 
the broken and twisted mass of iron, visible above the sur- 
face of the water, illustrating as nothing else can do how 
over two hundred of our brave boys met death and now lie 
at the bottom of the harbor, victims of the treachery of an 
unscrupulous foe. Every head was uncovered and not a 
sound was uttered as the band struck up the ' * Star Spangled 
Banner." The stillness was almost oppressive, as all eyes 
were upon what was once the pride of our navy, now a 
worse than useless mass lying deserted off a foreign coast, a 



112 HISTORY OF THE 

monument, as it were, to the boys who lie in their watery 
graves beneath. The sublimity of the occasion and its 
attendant incidents are beyond description. Heads were 
bowed and eyes tear-stained and it was with effort that the 
boys on board controlled the emotions surging through 
their hearts, and many experienced a choking sensation 
that they suppressed with difficulty. As if to add to the 
impressiveness of the occasion, the U. S. Topeka began 
firing a salute of thirteen guns. Passing a little beyond 
the charred and blackened wreck, we cast anchor under 
direction of the harbor pilot; this we had scarcely done 
when the transport was boarded by Lieutenant Fitzhugh 
Lee, Jr., bearing messages as to the disposition of the 
troops aboard. A few minutes later our corps commander, 
Major-General Fitzhugh Lee, accompanied by members of 
his staff, in a steam launch of one of the American battle 
ships in the harbor, hove in sight. His appearance was 
the signal for a spontaneous outburst by the boys aboard, 
who made the ancient harbor sound and resound with their 
cheers for their beloved commander. Shortly after the 
noonday mess had been served we struck anchor and 
proceeded to the docks where we lay until the following 
Saturday morning, during which interval the immense 
cargo of supplies and baggage had been unloaded and the 
disembarkation of the troops began, much to the pleasure of 
the boys, who, having been five days and nights aboard, 
had grown tired of the transport, the strange sights and 
unfamiliar scenes about them and were anxious to go ashore. 
The regiment had been preceded by a detail of men 
in charge of the corral contingent and other regimental 
property. On the 7th Lieutenant Anheier, by order of 
Colonel Durbin, selected as a detail of men to accompany 
him on this mission Corporals Imes, Holdridge and Gor- 
man and Privates Stanley, Reynolds and Hurst, of Com- 



114 HISTORY OF THE 

pany I, and Private McAdams, of Company H. Sergeant 
Owens, of Company H, Ralph Robinson, Corporal Wilson 
and Sam Kahn were also to accompany the party. They 
went aboard the transport Roumania about 8 p. m. the 
evening of the 7th. The First North Carolina were on 
board. Seven regimental horses were in charge, two 
ambulances, twenty-seven wagons and seventy-nine mules. 
The vessel left at 5 A. m. on the 8th, arriving before the 
harbor the night of the loth, and waited until Spanish law 
allowed it to enter after 6 a. m. the next morning. By 6 
p. M. mules and wagons were unloaded and the mules 
corraled by a long rope stretched down a wide street. 

Those nights were wild ones in Havana — ^nights of 
quarreling and wrangling and shooting, and it was the first 
night that the much-commented-upon riot occurred at the 
Hotel Inglaterra in which five Cubans were killed. By 
noon of the ne.xt day, all effects unloaded, the wagon train 
was ready to start for the ground that was to be the camp- 
ing site for the Indiana regiment. A guide was secured, 
and under a hot sun the journey was begun. 

The camp was reached about 4 p. m. on the i 5th. The 
wagons were used to bring the corps headquarters effects 
from the wharf to Buena Vista. 

When the regiment arrived the property w'as turned 
over to proper authority and Lieutenant Anheier reported 
with his men to the regiment. 



CHAPTER VII. 



HAVANA TO CAMP COLUMBIA. 

The pen seems reluctant to write; not that the heat 
and dust and final fatigue which belong to the experience 
of this never-to-be-forgotten day, are things hard of descrip- 
tion; such are common place, the mere mention of which 
suffices, but that the scenes which were ours to witness: 
the unbounded enthusiasm, the unrestrained manifestation 
of welcome, the glad shouts of happy-hearted people and 
the feelings which stirred the soul of the American soldier, 
are simply indescribable. 

The troops were in command of Colonel Durbin, who, 
with his staf^ of brigade officers, headed the moving col- 
umn. The One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana was in 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Backus, while Major Hol- 
man G. Puritan commanded the Third Battalion of the 
Second Illinois, which followed immediately in the rear. 

Our regiment alone would have been the largest body 
of volunteer soldiers that had yet passed through, but with 
the above-mentioned battalion of the Second Illinois there 
were in all about fifteen hundred men in column on this 
memorable occasion. 

The One Hundred and Sixty-first band of thirty-two 
pieces, ten snare drums, four fifes and eight bugles, marched 
in its accustomed place behind the regimental staff. The 
Illinois Battalion was headed by their regimental band. 
The great column began to move at 8:50 A. m. It 
marched through one or two minor streets, then up Cuba 



I l6 HISTORY OF THE 

street, until it arrived atRigla, one of tiie principal business 
streets of the city; through this street, or city lane, as they all 
might be more properly called, by reason of their uncom- 
fortable narrowness, the column passed until it reached the 
Prado; passing to the left of Parque Central it moved out 
Principe Alfonso, and from here wound its dusty way for 
five miles more, until at 2:10 o'clock we were in the vicin- 
ity of Quemados, at the allotted place for the staking once 
more of tents. 

It was, indeed, a triumphal entry and passage through 
the city. If ever there was tendered a more enthusiastic 
reception to an arm.y of men history has failed to record 
it. From its beginning to a point far beyond the city lim- 
its, at which place the multitudes were turned back by the 
Spanish guards, its memorable scenes will make a glorious 
chapter in the history of that people and in our own. 
Thus far in our experience it was the one thing that paid 
every soldier of us a thousand times and more for his. 
enlistment. All the heat, all the sickness and homesick- 
of those sultry days at Jacksonville were forgotten in the 
midst of the glad excitement and grand demonstration 
that gathered round us on our march. 

The man who wanted to go home, was now glad 
he came and he beheld things it is the privilege of few to 
see. 

Other military processions have been longer; many 
times our number over have followed behind the royal 
standard of an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon. Our 
own people in the sixties received the boys in blue as they 
"came marching home again " with a joy and an enthu- 
siasm that knew no bounds and that memorable review of 
May, '65, when the assembled army of the Union marched 
through the Capital city of our nation can never be sur- 
passed for glory, or. grandeur, or the accompanying display 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 11/ 

of a rejoicing people; but these were different and this is 
the first instance in the history of the world where a nation 
marched its army into a land it had saved from the oppres- 
sion of a tyrannical master. These people were therefore not 
only happy; they were grateful and their enthusiasm for 
that reason the more uncontrollable; was therefore the 
more soul stirring for every one who witnessed it. 

Every one was in high spirits. The band played so 
well, so much and with so much vigor that the wonder was 
they had enough wind to reach the camp; the men when in 
cadence step marched with utmost pride; the crowds 
shouted and even the horses seemed to catch the enthu- 
siasm which swayed the multitude of soldiers and of people. 

It was a proud moment for the American soldier when 
for the first time he took off his hat to his own beautiful 
flag on foreign soil. It was waved from a balcony on our 
right shortly after the march began, the Stars and Stripes 
that made the people free! It greeted us with a world of 
meaning. The business part of the city was not so thor- 
oughly Cuban as the residence portion and as our moving 
column filled the narrow avenues whose only virtue is that 
the ladies can "shop" from one side to the other, thereby 
getting a maximum variety of prices at a minimum cost of 
fatigue, we met the gaze of many who doubtless wished us 
safe at home, or worse. 

Now and then an American flag was unfurled from 
some of the crowded balconies above us, but as the regiment 
proceeded the enthusiasm ran higher and the crowd that 
kept continually pouring in from all sides would have com- 
pletely choked the street, had such a thing been possible 
before so large a body of moving men. At the end of 
Rigla street "halt " was given to rest the men and to clear 
an entrance for the regiment into the Prado and from this 
time until the column had passed the Spanish guard-line, 



Il8 HISTORY OF THE 

the enthusiasm and excitement grew with every square we 
marched. 

It was the chief delight of the barefooted Cuban boys, 
of the swarthy young men and in fact of the entire Cuban 
element to clear the way of any obstructing vehicle whose 
driver chanced to be a little tardy or a little stubborn in 
turning into the side street to give the regiment its needed 
room for passing. 

It was in one of the wider streets that a heavily laden 
cart was encountered, but the regiment was marching in 
columns of platoons and it was evident that either the reg- 
iment must turn back or break into column of fours or the 
driver must right about face and wheel to the rear. The 
colonel thought it would be easier to move the cart than 
the regiment and although he had scarcely been on the 
island an hour he did not experience the least difficulty in 
making his wishes known; the jubilant Cubans charged upon 
it with a vengeance. " Fuera, " (get out) they cried and 
never gave the driver a chance to do it but with an amaz- 
ing economy of ceremony they siezed the concern by the 
bridle and by the wheels and hustled the whole lumbering 
affair into a side street in a way not calculated to leave its 
occupants in the sweetest possible humor; and they were not, 
for they were Spanish guards on a cart loaded with commis- 
sary supplies; they remonstrated and though they were 
recipients of some vituperation and a little mud, they did 
not resist for they had had their day and seemed to know 
it; but all along the route be the vehicle a Spaniard's or a 
Cuban's it must needs leave the passage clear and woe 
betook him who hesitated, especially if he were a Spaniard. 
The Spanish street car driver had a long gauntlet to run, 
but it was nothing worse than hisses and biting sarcasm 
sprinkled with a trifling bit of mud or an occasional spray 
of Cuban saliva. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. II 9 

As the regiment took up its course through Alfonso 
street it became evident at once that we were to pass 
through a residence portion of the city occupied by the 
more influential class of Cubans. The houses, dressed in 
Cuba's characteristic colors of white, light blue and pink, 
presented a better and more substantial appearance, 
though everywhere was the iron-barred windows which 
gives to the city at the first impression the suspicious air 
of a huge penitentiary (and makes one curious to know 
what is going on within). And now the display of stars 
and stripes and the Cuban flag grew more profuse. They 
were run up the flag-staffs, Old Glory always above; they 
waved from the housetops, they hung from the balconies, 
they stretched across the porches, or, better still, waved 
us their salute from the hand of some beautiful senorita. 
The wealthier and more cultured were satisfied to crowd 
the porches and balconies, but those whom the world has 
been pleased to call the common people packed the streets 
from the buildings to each side of the moving column. 
They ran before, they followed behind, they pressed along 
the sides, singing, dancing and filling the air with "Viva 
Americano," "Viva Cuba." A strange conglomeration of 
an amalgamated people; some with skins as black as Plu- 
tonian night, or ebony, if that is blacker, some as brown 
as any Malay, and some as fair as any Caucasian can ever 
hope to be. The eyes of these half-clad people sparkled 
with unaccustomed luster and delight. They would kiss 
the American flag and shout "Viva Mclvinley," while 
occasionally one more wrought up than others must needs 
give vent to his feelings in some emphatic oration; with 
wild gesticulations and a highly-strung husky voice, he 
would beat his uncovered breast and shout away at an 
angry woman's rate, stamping Spain into the dust beneath 
his feet, and lauding Americo and Cubano to the skies; at 



120 HISTORY OF THE 

least we thought he did, for this much we understood: that 
Spain was " mucho malo " and America and Cuba 
" mucho bueno. " 

From the windows and doorways and porches and 
balconies and steps were waved beautiful silken flags, 
bright colored handkerchiefs and fancy Castillian fans, 
accompanied by the nodding heads and gracious glances of 
Cuba's fairest ladies. We were all acquainted and the 
formality of etiquette was forgotten, and if any soldier was 
fortunate enough to faint or fall out at such a place he 
was immediately envied by every stalwart man in ranks. 

Frequent stops were made to rest the men and on one 
occasion the halt was made with the head of the column 
before what was apparently the residence of a wealthy 
family. Two large and handsome flags, America's and 
Cuba's, were crossed before the steps leading to its en- 
trance. As the ladies seized the stars and stripes and 
waved them to greet us, the adjutant requested the band to 
play "The Star Spangled Banner." At the first note 
every hat was removed and the scene that followed can 
never be forgotten. Every one was loaded with bouquets; 
the bridles of the horses were filled with roses and every 
mounted officer covered with flowers as fair as the sun ever 
shone upon. They carried us the coolest water, the finest 
wines, and imported brandy and the choicest of Havana 
cigars. Cheer upon cheer filled the air and touched the 
heavens with their volume while the band played their soul 
stirring music, now the One Hundred and Si.xty-first, again 
the Second Illinois and sometimes both. As the column 
once more took up its march toward its destination a great 
number who had followed all the way pushed on before, 
men and women of assorted colors, middle aged and chil- 
dren; they stripped the trees of their long green branches 
and holding these aloft they led us on out the road through 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 121 

Cerro, chanting some fantastic air and keeping time with 
their feet which threw them all into a strange sort of 
swinging gait which continued 'till they reached the Span- 
ish guard line, where falling to the side they watched the 
"big soldiers" pass and then slowly took their tired selves 
back to their humble homes. 

The regiment had now reached the Spanish barracks, 
about six miles from the heart of the city; the band played 
and the Spanish guard turned out in double column on 
either side of the road; they came to a " present arms " 
while we marched past at " port arms." This much must 
be said for the Spanish officers that they treated American 
soldiers with all proper respect and consideration, saluting 
in a most respectful manner when it was proper to do 
so. If you could put yourself in their place you could 
better appreciate their feelings and therefore better ap- 
preciate their courtesy. The Spanish soldiers had had an 
experience of which he had long since wearied; the poor 
unpaid and half starved fellow had grown tired of chasing 
a foe who, like a phantom, always evaded him while all 
around him his comrades were dying by the score, of fever 
instead of falling in open, honorable battle, and when the 
"boys in blue" came he knew what all the world knew, 
that he was fighting a hopeless battle. The humblest of 
them were reserved and respectful. From the Spanish 
barracks the regiment moved silently along the dusty high- 
way through Puentes Grandes and Ceiba out to its destined 
camping place by Quemados. 

High up on the right, and just beyond Cerro, a Spanish 
fortification frowned down upon us. Around it was the in- 
genious and formidable. barb wire obstruction, with a depth 
of eighteen feet, interspersed with posts three feet high and 
interwoven with wire; it made a difficult and almost impos- 
ble approach for the enemy. The exposure while cutting 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



123 



it and the certain entanglement consequent upon any 
attempt to pass over it when cut, placed the approaching 
force too completely at the mercy of its foe. With the 




Barb Wire Defense. 

proper entrenchment behind, it is hard to conceive of a 
better device for holding an enemy at bay. It will have a 
part in the fortifications of the future. 

Now and then along the roadside and dotted over the 
country, there came in view the notorious Spanish "block 
house," some hexagonal in shape, some round, the majority 
square; some one, some two stories high; masonry work of 
no considerable strength whose chief and indeed valuable 
service consists in affording a shelter place from which to 
fire. So many were they that it was impossible for any 
considerable number of men to pass through the country 



124 t HISTORY OF THE 

without coming repeatedly within reach of their firing 
distance. 





•^•:.±jy\M^ 



Block House. 

Nothing further of interest can be noted, save every- 
where the beauty and fertihty of the country — the stately 
palms, the bananas, the cocoas and other products of the 
rich, red soil. 

At Beuna Vista the regiment passed the Seventh Army 
corps headquarters, and in twenty minutes the First North 
Carolina and the Second Illinois saw us marching by to 
occupy our allotted place in Camp Columbia. The boys 
were tired and glad to drop down for a good rest. The 
day's march was over, but the memory of it will ever be 
fresh in the mind and its scenes forever live before the eyes 
of every soldier who participated in it, and Old Glory, too, 
will always have a deeper meaning and a richer splendor 
because of the experiences of that day. 



CHAPTER Vlll. 



CAMP COLUMBIA. 

December 17, 'QS-January 31, '99. 

Upon arrival Colonel Durbin reported the same and 
relinquished the command of all troops other than the One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The 
companies marched each to their places as designated by 
an officer of the engineer corps and threw themselves down 
for a rest. The regiment had been given what seemed to 
us the most unlovely spot on all the island, but around us 
in every direction was a panorama of wonderous beauty; 
behind us the green fields adorned with magnificent palms 
stretched a mile away to Quemados and Marianao, whose 
red tiledroofs would have been visible ten times as faraway, 
and twenty miles in the distance, over nature as fair as God 
had ever made, rising in clear outline against the sky to our 
left were the northern limits of the Blanquizar mountains. 
On the gentle slope to our right were pitched the tents of 
the Second Illinois and the First North Carolina and be- 
yond them the brigade and division headquarters, and just 
before us, three miles that looked like one, lay the shining 
waters of the Florida straits that washed the shore of the 
island and lost themselves far in the dim distance that it 
gave the men day dreams of the land they knew the wa- 
ters touched far away in the north. 

It was the slowest camp pitching the regiment ever 
experienced, first because the men had nothing to pitch and 
secondly the next day when the quartermaster's supplies. 



126 HISTORY OF THE 

did come the boys experienced great difficulty in driving 
the wooden pegs into the stone upon which the camp was 
stationed. 

It was one collossal rock here and there sticking its 
face above the soil, but never sinking more than six inches 
below. Some one had blundered in the loading of the ves- 
sel; the tent poles were at the bottom and it was impossi- 
ble for the quartermaster to furnish the regiment tents the 
first day, and that night the boys stuck up their guns and 
hung them with their ponchos, threw up their little shelter 
tents or, in good old patriarchial way, took the soft side of a 
stone for a pillow and slept out under the Cuban skies. 
Some of the officers did likewise or pitched such old tents 
as could be found, and night closed over a strange scene, 
such as might be taken for an army resting from a hot 
chase of a retreating enemy. 

Some of the men received cots for this first night and 
the next day the issue was completed; this was a new lux- 
ury for soldier life and when placed in the large tents, also 
provided for the first time, one for six men, gave as much 
comfort as a soldier could reasonably expect. Quarter- 
master and commissary supplies and headquarter stuff were 
piled in a seemingly promiscuous heap. 

The following day, December i8, was spent in "im- 
proving the land." It was quarry work — piles of stone 
were raked together and hauled away, a stone fence demol- 
ished and other necessary but rocky work undertaken. 

At the close of the day tents sufficient to shelter the 
men were up; the headquarters were still jumbled together 
and remained so for a week. The officers ate what they 
could procure and paid outrageous prices for it, and the 
Cuban bread, sweet-meat and orange venders were in 
clover. They gathered in groups around the camp, a 
motley set of people, shoeless, the most of them covered 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 12/ 

with straw hats and linen pants and a part of a shirt and 
every one with his cuchillo (knife) hung in its leather case 
inside his p:ants at the waist. They had oranges dumped 
on the ground, four for five, jelly in cakes and sweet meats 
of innumerable variety and color; they jabbered their 
mother tongne at the boys and taught them Spanish, but 
the most that most of us learned was to say " quanto " 
and get skinned a little in the change. 

Now was the time for the capturing of prizes and the 
gathering of relics; the Cuban who could tell the biggest lie 
was the man who made the sale; later, "machetes" and 
" mausers " became ordinary weapons of war that sold for 
a few dollars without a history, but during those early days 
one could almost see the blood dripping from the famous 
machete and hear the dying yell of an innumerable host of 
Spaniards shot down by this or that rifle as they were 
brought near the camp by some illustrious patriot "del 
ejercito Cubano." It was in these days that Lieutenant- 
Colonel Backus made his wonderful find and he didn't ask 
any one to believe his story; there was the history of the 
rifle written under his own eye by the Cuban himself, and 
our own regimental Cuba should read it, which he did, and 
— " never mind the history! " 

On the 22d the headquarters were established in their 
proper place, but an objection had in the meantime gone 
to corps headquarters concerning the unfavorable location 
of the camp, and on December 22 General Lee, accompa- 
nied by General Williston, rode over the ground and 
ordered all clearing work to stop. 

For a few days the men seemed to wander at will and 
began to explore the neighborhood; but reports of yellow 
fever in the vicinity caused the guard lines to be drawn 
very close and no one was allowed to leave the camp. 

Seven miles south of Camp Columbia are the Vento 



128 HISTORY OF THE 

springs, beautiful and powerful, which supply Havana with 
the purest water and from which water was to be furnished 
the Seventh Army Corps; but until the piping work was 
completed, all the water used was hauled in barrels from 
a spring beyond Mariano, two and one-half miles away. 
There was consequently at first a scarcity of water. One 
does not need to mention it, but the regiment needed a bath; 
and on December 23 the entire regiment marched three miles 
away to the sea coast, near Playa, and turned its coral beach 
for a brief time into a big bath tub for twelve hundred men. 
Some got clean and some got something else — they got 
their feet filled with big black porcupine bristles that stung 
and caused the feet to smart and swell, and then they got 
to ride home in the ambulance, as did others who preferred 
to ride and therefore " didn't feel very well." 

Christmas was near at hand — a few selections by the 
band — a few thoughts homeward, and its eve had gone. 
The next day ushered in a day like one in August at 
home. On the knoll among the scattered supplies the 
chaplain held a little Christmas service. It is said that 
the staff also had a little time at mess. In his turn each 
one entertained the rest, save the chaplain, who had gone 
to take Christmas dinner with one of the companies whose 
ofScers had generously provided their men with turkey and 
other good things. The staff did not have turkey — Lieu- 
tenant Wilson had purchased one, but it was too fat. He 
could thin it down a little for New Year's day, so he made 
a " reconcentrado " of it, and shutting it up in a pen 
began his cruel process of starvation. By New Year's day 
he had a dead turkey, and the staff had ham for dinner. 

On Christmas day one officer and five men from each 
company were allowed to be absent from camp till 6 p. m. 
The same allowance was made in other regiments. The 
wisdom of restricting passes is at once apparent, consider- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 29 

ing the existence of three armies whose soldiers might come 
in conflict, and the serious consequence that might result 
from disorderly conduct. 

Considering the American pretense and what the 
nation stands for before the world, and the consequent 
example of sobriety and manliness its soldiers should place 
before a people whom we have dared to call less civilized 
than ourselves, it is deplorable that even officers should so 
conduct themselves in abuse of the above privileges that 
there must needs come down the evening of the same day 
an order to the effect that owing to the disgraceful conduct 
of some of the Seventh Army Corps officers no more passes 
would be issued. It is not an attempt at self-justification, 
but due the officers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first to 
say that investigation exonerated those absent from camp 
from any suspicion that the above charge rested upon 
them. A drunken officer is less of a man because of his. 
straps. 

It had now been decided to turn the camp about,, 
practically end for end. Such a move necessitated a like 
change for appearance sake of the two other regiments in 
the brigade, but when the change was made the entire 
brigade not only presented a better appearance, but occu- 
pied a better and more convenient position. Six com- 
panies moved on the 28th, the remaining and the head- 
quarters on the 29th. The 31st brought the last day of 
the year and the uppermost thought was the long march 
on the morrow. In the evening there was music and a 
" Hoosier " watch party, and as the old year died "taps'" 
were sounded with hne expression by musicians Williams 
and Hays, and as the last note died away in the stillness 
the band struck up the national tune "America," then 
they played " The Star Spangled Banner" and "On the. 

Banks of the Wabash Far Away." 
9 



130 HISTORY OF THE 

" New Year's in Cuba " will bring a flood of memories 
to the men of the regiment. At 8:30 o'clock the companies 
were formed ready for the long march to Havana and re- 
turn. Every soldier wanted to go. Many offered to do 
double tours of guard duty for the privilege of changing 
with one of those going. Off up through the camp of the 
Second Illinois the column moved, headed by Colonel Dur- 
bin with his staff and the band. Out from between the 
rows of great royal palms onto the highway the boys 
swung into line, happy and proud to be a part of the day's 
ceremonies that marks such an epoch in the history of the 
beautiful island. There was little to be said on the way 
for the first two or three miles. 

Probably there were thoughts of those so far away and 
of other New Year's days. All along the highlands to the 
cliffs overlooking the gulf, now down into the little green 
valleys, now up looking down into them, with a brisk salt 
breeze fanning them, the men of the regiment kept up the 
march with infrequent halts and short rests. 

Down the hill roads to the coast line the long line led 
into Vedado, the aristocratic suburb of Havana. Here the 
first long rest was made almost four miles from the home 
camp. Along the way on every little Cuban cottage the 
Cuban and American flags had been displayed, but at 
Vedado the decorations were on a larger scale. Entire 
fronts of buildings were covered with the flags intertwined 
with green. Black eyed senoritas in stiff white skirts and 
fresh ribbons came out from the vine covered verandas and 
proceeded to capture many hearts with their "Viva los 
Americanos." A fifteen days' life in Cuba had not given 
the men a very complete knowledge of the Spanish lan- 
guage, but the pretty girls were assured that they were 
" mucha buena." 

From Vedado to the city all the way is guarded by the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 131 

old Spanish forts, which were occupied by American troops 
and American gunners. At 11:45 o'clock the pontoon 
bridge was crossed and the regiment was in Havana. Off 
across the narrow bay Morro stood silent and gray, beating 
back the waves that forever surge at her feet. Above the 
stone walls floated the yellow and red emblem of the 
defeated nation, so soon to be drawn down forever. 

As the time drew nearer to the noon hour the excite- 
ment among the people increased until they were running 
about the streets crying, shouting, laughing and singing. 
Dozens of bombs, exploding high in the air, added to the 
noise and confusion. There was an intense feeling. The 
hour they had so long prayed for and fought for was almost 
at hand. They knew that at that same minute the hated 
Spanish were leaving the governor-general's palace and 
that the Spanish guards were being relieved for all time in 
the Morro. Their fair land, " The Queen of the Antilles," 
was about to be taken from the hand of the oppressor. 

Twelve o'clock! 

Boom! The first gun from the Morro ever fired in 
honor of the American flag. 

And the men of the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
stood on the shore opposite and watched the Stars and 
Stripes ascend over that stronghold and joined in the cheer 
that went up with a strong Hoosier yell that was probably 
heard at the fort. 

Just by the regiment the bells of the Catholic hos- 
pital, San Lozaro, pealed forth clear and sweet, rung by 
the black-robed Sisters, heralding the new day in Cuban 
history. Tears they shed, maybe in sympathy for the 
mother land, maybe for joy. Farther down the street, at 
the palace, the old white-haired general, Castellanos, of 
Spain, was handing over to General Brooke the keys of 
the mansion, symbolic of the final evacuation of the island. 



132 HISTORY OF THE 

The scene at the palace was simple and pathetic; the 
officers who were to take charge of the various depart- 
ments were instructed by Brigadier-General Clous, the 
master of ceremonies of the day, as follows: " On the fir- 
ing of the last gun of the first twenty-one at noon, you are 
to go to the place assigned you and demand possession of 
the office in the name of the United States." At ii:io 
Major-General Wade and Major-General Butler, of the 
American evacuation commission, arrived; at 11:30 Major- 
General John R. Brooke, governor of Cuba, and Major- 
General Ludlow, governor of the city of Havana, came and 
at 11:45 Major-General Lee joined them. Just a few 
minutes before 12 Captain-General Castellanos suddenly 
entered the salon and after greeting General Brooke and 
others, moved toward a group of Cuban generals and on 
being introduced to General Rodriguez shook both his 
hands according to Spanish custom, and said: " We have 
been enemies, but I respect you for your correct attitudes 
and opinions. I have pleasure in shaking your hand." 
General Rodriguez, replied: " I thank you. General; I feel 
sorry for the Spanish army which has defended the banner 
it was sworn to defend. I also have pleasure in shaking 
your hands." At this moment the big guns began to roar 
the national salute and at once General Castellanos, 
addressing General Wade, who was president of the Amer- 
ican Commission, the words having been placed on manu- 
script, said: "Gentlemen: In compliance with the treaty 
of Paris, the agreement of the military commissioners of 
the island, and the orders of my King, at this moment of 
noon, January i, 1899, there ceases in Cuba Spanish 
sovereignty and begins that of the United States. In con- 
sequence, I declare you in command of the island, with the 
object that you may exercise it, declaring to you that I 
will be first in respecting it. Peace having been established 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 33 

between our respective governments, I promise you to give 
all due respect to the United States government, and I hope 
that the good relations already existing between our armies, 
will continue until the termination of the evacuation of 
those under my orders in this territory." 

The address having been translated. General Wade 
handed it to General Brooke, saying " I transfer this 
command to you," and General Brooke said: "I accept 
this great trust in behalf of the government and President 
of the United States, and (turning to General Castellanos) 
I wish you and the gallant gentlemen with you a pleasant 
return to your native land. May prosperity attend you and 
all who are with you." General Castellanos immediately 
retired from the throne room and turning to his officers 
said, with tears in his eyes: "Gentlemen, I have been in 
more battles than I have hairs on my head, and my self- 
possession has never failed me until to-day. Adieu, gentle- 
men, adieu." The old man bowed his head as he walked 
down the stairway and out into the plaza. Some Ameri- 
can ladies waved their handkerchiefs to him and bowing he 
kissed his hands to them and accompanied by General 
Clous and by his own staf^he started toward the wharf; all 
the way he was hooted and jeered by the Cubans and there 
was no Spanish soldiers to do his bidding had he cared to 
notice them, but those of better hearts looked quietly on 
and pitied the faithful old servant of his country. At the 
wharf he thanked General Clous and as he stepped into his 
launch that was to take him to his vessel he wept again 
while the docks were crowded with Spaniards, men and 
women, all dressed in black, weeping with him. Not a 
shout was raised, not a handkerchief was waved, but men 
and women wept together. 

It was almost i o'clock when the regiment was ordered 
forward. The review of the American troops by General 



134 HISTORY OF THE 

Lee, General Brooke, General Ludlow with the staff of 
each, drawn up in front of the Ingleterra, was in prog- 
ress and the Indianians marched onto the Prado, ready to 
carry off the honors. The regiment was formed in pla- 
toons and there were a third more in the regiment than in 
any other organization that passed the stand. Cheers that 
were hearty before increased two-fold when the One Hun- 
dred and Sixty-first passed. 

Down the Prado they marched, every man a soldier. 
On to Reina street the column was directed and there it 
was halted for the noon-day lunch. The men fell out of 
ranks and for an hour and a half the neighborhood was 
filled with soldiers, visiting scenes they had read of, maybe, 
but had never seen. Then on home, back to a hot supper 
and cots and blankets that never seemed more comforting 
and more comfortable, and the great day was over. 

Cuba was out of the power of the Spanish. 

On the morning of January 2, the boys turned out of 
bed and discovered their legs were a little stiff from the 
previous day's hike; it was a day of well-deserved rest, for 
all drills were suspended and the men spent the day loung- 
ing about camp making "pipes" and "grape vines" on 
the next move. 

The month of January, apart from New Year's day and 
the 31st, was in one respect an uneventful one. There 
were no marches, no reviews and only one battle, on the 
6th in which the l^score was fourteen to three for the 
Cubans, seventy dollars gate receipts and that sore feeling 
for the boys. The panacea for all ills came next day when 
Major Havens visited the regiment with the good govern- 
ment's crisp paper and yellow gold. 

The boys were determined, however, to hold their good 
record at the drill and on the 9th began to drill twice a 
day, from 8:30 to 10 A. M. and from 3:30 to 4:30 p. m. 




-^m"'-- 
x^^^-^ 



i 



136 



HISTORY OF THE 



This was immediately followed by regimental parade; it 
was quick time and if the first sergeant does not remember, 
the men do; it was "company dismissed" — get ready for 
parade " !! and as quick as it takes to tell it the men were 
on their way to " pass in review, take full distance, guide 
right, harsh." !!!! 

But there were some things which made even January 
an important month historically, and these are found in 
the camp improvements, the outcome of that spirit which 
has always by conceded opinion made the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana camp the model one. 

The loth of the month saw the erection of the first 
company kitchen and for a week of time incessant ham- 
mering sounded an invitation for the company cooks to 




SouPEE ! SouPEE ! Soup ! Soup ! 



leave the sun and the wind and the dust and the tempora- 
rily erected " ffys " and come into a commodious shack 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-EIRST INDIANA. 1 37 

which sprung up along the regimental rear, one for each 
company, in a line as straight as human science could make 




The Way Mother Used to Do. 

it. x\t the same time the headquarters went down one 
tent a day, and " Dude Allen" with his force constructed 
those elevated floors and tent skeletons which made that 
row look like the street of a deserted village when we had 
gone. 

As fast as lumber arrived, and God and the govern- 
ment knows it came slow enough in spite of the fact that 
the quartermaster had receipted for sixty thousand feet in 
the states which went into government buildings and the 
regiment consequently had to wait, but it came by degrees, 
and as it did come was hurriedly worked up into floors for 
the company tents, but all tents however were not floored 
until the middle of March, when those of the home bound 
Maine artillery were brought to us for that purpose. In 
the meantime the grounds throughout and in ths imme- 



138 



HISTORY OF THE 



diate vicinity of the regiment were being thoroughly 
policed; every shrub and root grubbed up, and every loose 




and protruding stone removed till the whole place was as 
neat and clean as human hands and labor could make it. 
Then came the " ornamental period " when companies 
vied with each other in making their quarters attractive. 
Had there been any Spaniards to fight all this camp embel- 
lishment would have been unknown, but it is certainly a 
great credit to any regiment and indicative of an enter- 
prising spirit, the essence of which will make good soldiers 
under any circumstances, that a portion of the men's time 
was spent in an endeavor toward attractiveness. Great 
loads of sand were hauled from Playa beach and along 
headquarters, around battalion quarters, along the cap- 
tains' and the company streets sand walks were made and 



140 HISTORY OF THE 

bounded by uniform stones covered over with whitewash. 
At the head of each company appropriate designs were made 
by scratching up the red soil, by lettering and designing 
upon it by small bits of white limestone blasted from the 
hard earth by our Cuban sink diggers, who from the first 
day startled the camp by their cannon-like explosions and 
filled the air with flying stones which came hailing down 
ofttimes all too near for comfort or appreciation. On a 
certain Saturday (21st) a prize of $5.00 offered by the 
officer of the day for the neatest interior and surroundings 
was awarded to Corporal Joseph L. Luse, privates Frank E. 
Oaks, B. S. Kellenberger, Robert E. Ketner, Ralph Mc- 
Callie and Elbert M. Blake, who occupied tent No. 10 in 
Company K. 

The band quarters, the hospital especially, and the 
First Battalion coral star, the product of Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Backus' creative genius, all deserve mention, but the 
one work of note that made all the kodack fiends hurry to 
our camp, that made other regiments look our way with 
envious eyes and wonder why they " hadn't thought of it " 
was, is and always will be the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry Monument. It stands there 
to-day in its lonely grandeur, growing more endurable with 
the passing ages; a monument to the enterprise of the regi- 
ment whose name it bears. It is the first monument ever 
erected on foreign soil to the memory of an American 
Soldier and the honor of its origination and general design 
belongs to the inimitable Backus, to whose inherent aptitude 
for such things and untiring energy the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first Indiana owes much of the credit bestowed upon 
it for the example it always set as the model camp of the 
Seventh Army Corps; and would it not be well to confess 
that some of us looked a little wise and doubted a little bit 
the success of what seemed to be a hard task to make out 



•WT^f^H^^SmmBf 




142 HISTORY OF THE 

of rough material a monument creditable to the reputation 
of the regiment; but the lieutenant-colonel simply re- 
marked "Just let the old man alone " and when the work 
was finished every man in the regiment was proud of it. 
It was begun on the 21st day of January and completed the 
5th day of February, and every stone was hauled, hewn, 
lifted and put in place by a soldier of the regiment. 

Its base is sixteen feet square and four feet high; sur- 
mounted by a second base twelve feet square and three 
feet high and rising from this is the shaft, sixteen feet high, 
being four feet square at its base and two and one half 
feet square at the top VA'here rests a twelve-inch steel shell 
making in all a total height of twenty-four feet. The 
shells and cannon balls upon and around its base were se- 
cured from the landing place on Playa coast. The shaft is 
a heavy frame work covered with brain coral and set in 
cement. Imbedded in the four faces of the second base 
are huge limestone slabs bearing the four inscriptions " One 
Hundred and Sixty-first" "Indiana" "Volunteer" "In- 
fantry. " Set in the north side of the lower base is a plate 
of limestone bearing the names of Colonel Durbin, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Backus and Captain George West as build- 
ers. In the front lower base is another limestone shield 
bearing the date 1899. In the upper left hand corner of 
the lower base immediately under the lower left hand cor- 
ner of the upper base is the corner stone concerning the 
laying of which and its contents the following is quoted 
from the " Times of Cuba. " 

"Yesterday morning the corner stone was laid, not 
with any formal ceremony but in a business-like way. The 
corner stone is one of great size, and after being chiseled 
out a tin box was placed inside. The box was about fif- 
teen inches on each side, and when filled contained a re- 
markable collection of papers, very different from any that 



144 HISTORY OF THE 

history records, and the man who will open this stone in 
centuries to come will marvel at the wonderful sight that 
will greet his eyes when he removes the cement that now 
so well protects the assortment of mementos that the In- 
diana men covered with a massive slab. A complete roster 
of the regiment was first placed in the stone. Then came 
a copy of the drill regulations and the manual of arms, fol- 
lowed by the photographs of a number of the officers of 
the regiment, all the newspapers published in Indiana which 
could be procured, a few small coins, a piece of rope from 
the lamented Maine, one cigar in a box, a brief history of 
the regiment, copies of the New York, Cincinnati and Chi- 
cago papers, and lastly a copy of the Times of Cuba, of 
Tuesday, January 23, which contained the first account of 
the unique memorial of the Indiana regiment." 

Captain West deserves great praise not only for his 
share in the monument's design but for the attention and 
assistance given to its erecton, and the men who worked 
so hard for so many days ought also to be remembered. It 
is not the only monument of its kind but it is and always 
will be the first one. It is told of a southern colonel: 
There were fourteen baptized in another regiment; he forth- 
with ordered the adjutant to make a detail of twenty men, 
to take them down to the creek and baptize them, for he 
' ' wasn't agoin' to allow any regiment to get ahead of him ; " 
and so there are other monuments, at least one, — a credit- 
able work, too, by the way. 

January also contained the "bloody period," a time 
when the patriots' iiuid was drawn upon every man, a time 
out of which the future brought much intense suffering, a 
time when one thousand two hundred Hoosier soldiers 
bared their strong left arms to the surgeons' little bone 
slivers, with poison points like Oriental daggers, dipped in 
some mysterious concoction, that for effect might have 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. I45 

been, for all the soldiers knew, drawn from a cauldron 
mixed up by Macbeth's witches, and in plain vernacular 
beat a tarantula bite all hollow. There was smallpox in 
camp, of which later mention will be made, and every 
man was vaccinated, beginning with Company A, on the 
1 6th of the month. The men were driven up to the dis- 
pensary like sheep to the slaughter-house — there was no 
getting out of it. There were more " Ohs! " and "damns! " 
and like emphatic exclamations in this month than in all 
others together, as those beautiful rose-colored sore arms 
hanging so carefully and tenderly down would run against 
the hand of some thoughtless fellow who wanted to tell him 
something on the confidential; but they were glad of it for 
it doubtless prevented what might otherwise have been a 
period of much and serious sickness, at least so medical 
science use to say. 

Many of these January days were wisely employed in 
visiting much of what there was of note on the island. On 
the 2 1st fourteen officers; including the Colonel, "saw the 
sights." They reported a time of great interest. They did 
Morro and Cabannas and the city thoroughly and were in 
the act of bringing the Maine from its wreck spot in the bay 
to camp but stopped suddenly after procuring enough to 
supply a few museums. On the following Saturday ten 
more under charge of Major Olds made a similar excursion. 
It was another pleasant and profitable day; Major Smith 
found a dollar on the tomb of Columbus in the old cathre- 
dal. The privates had their outings, too. Colonel Durbin 
who has always been considerate of his men, conceived the 
idea of sending each day, ten men from each company to 
the country in army wagons for a day of recreation and 
acquaintance with the country's beautiful appearance. 
Accordingly at 7 A. m. on January 29th the first excursion 

went out. They drove over a fine macadamized road past 
10 ^ 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



147 



trotting ponies, dusty stage coaches, lumbering burrow 
carts, cane and pineapple fields and banana groves, past a 
thousand palms and cocoas and other tropical growths, 
through peculiar Cuban villages to the mountains sixteen 
miles away and back again at six o'clock in the evening. 
Nature certainly has a lavish way of doing things in Cuba 
and as one looks upon the luxuriant landscape he thinks of 
something that Emerson said, 

"Happy, I cried, whose home is here; 
Fair fortune to the Mountaineer; 
Dame nature round his humble bed 
Hath royal pleasure grounds outspread." 

Still appearances ofttimes deceive, and even the Cubans 
never raised enough as the import statistics on rice, flour, 
potatoes, salt, etc., plainly indicate; but the chief thing now 
is that nature does it all or nearly all, for the wooden plow 




148 



HISTORY OF THE 



and antiquated ox goad; show the rude and barbarous stage 
out of which their agricultureihas never emerged; but now 
while all over the island where once magnificent estates are 




in ruins and the country has gone to waste, the time has come 
for the replanting and rebuilding and under an American 
protectorate or at least the influence of her civilization 
which is bound to come, agriculture will become an Ameri- 
can science more in harmony with nature's demand that 
will usher in an era of prosperity such as the island never 
yet has known. 

Squads of ten, accompanied by a commissioned officer, 
from time to time also visited the city and surveyed its 
points of interest; there was grim old Morro with its walls 
hewn from the rocks in 1589; its famous O'Donnell light- 
house on the seaward corner and its frowning batteries 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 49 

crowned with sixty cannon and the famous "twelve apos- 
tles." And there is traditional and worthless old Cabana, 
dating from 1763, at a cost of fourteen million dollars. 
There is the unrivaled view encircling the bay, the tragic 
spot where rests the Maine, the old Catholic cathedral, 
and, best of all, the life with all its peculiar characteristics 
that flows through the city's narrow streets. The value of 
seeing the country, the city and the people, will always be 
to every man, from an educatioaal standpoint, a reason for 
rejoicing that the destinies of war took him to those 
shores. 

If January began with a significant event it was also 
to end with one. An order came to prepare for a corps 
review on the 31st. The reviewing officer was to be the 
inspector general of the United States Army. Brigadier- 
General Breckenridge. The general had inspected our 
camp the day before, the 30th, and on the 31st, the parade 
ground being next and nearest our regiment, every man 
who could shoulder a gun turned out. Beside the infantry 
of the Seventh Army Corps there were present the Seventh 
Cavalry and the Second United States Artillery. In all 
over thirteen hundred men passed in review at 3 p. m. 
before the distinguished visitor who was there for that pur- 
pose in company with General Fitz Hugh Lee. 

The review was one that showed the results of hard 
training on the part of every regiment present; in fact it 
was remarkable the way those men did march. The 
Indiana boys were there. Said one fellow from another 
regiment, • ' Those d — d Hoosiers can have typhoid fever, 
smallpox and everything else and then turn out bigger com- 
panies and march better than any regiment in the whole 
d — d corps." That he was about right, forgetting the 
indelicacy of his expression is clearly proven by the follow- 
ing letter. 



150 HISTORY OF THE 

Headquarters ist. Brig., 2d. Div., 7th A. C, ) 
Camp Columbia, Havana, Cuba, Feb. i, 1899. f 

The Commanding Officer, i6ist Ind. Vol. Inf. 

Sir: — The brigadier-general commanding directs me 
to inform you in his opinion your regiment presented the 
finest appearance of any in the corps at the review before 
the inspector-general yesterday, and to express to you his 
gratification thereat. Also, that he considered the condi- 
tion of your camp as worthy of especial commendation, 
which he takes pleasure in transmitting to you. Very 

respectfully, 

R. G. Paxton, 

Assistant Adjutant-General. 

The men were proud of this deserved tribute; it was 
the result of intelligent and hard work and every future 
parade showed they meant to hold the distinction they had 
so honorably acquired. And thus the first month of 1899 
came to an end. February was at hand and entered upon, 
every man wondering what its four short weeks would 
bring forth in the experience of the army to which he 
belonged. 



CHAPTER IX. 



CAMP COLUMBIA. 



February i, '99-March 31, '99. 
February came and brought with it twenty-eight days 
of atmospheric changes; for a day or a few the sun was at 
his best and then for an equal length of time or longer the 
clouds that hid the hot old orb poured their torrents down 
upon the thirsty ground; for a time we were warmly re- 
minded of our equatorial proximity and then with a gale 
that sprang up in the night the wind would turn and bring 
us chilly reminders of that for-years-unequalled winter they 
were having in our Hoosier home up north. It was not 
necessary to wait for the " rainy season" to discover that 
Cuban skies had line raining facilities; they were too gen- 
erous to deal in "drops;" they poured it out in torrents 
and then some. The north wind that rose in the night and 
played those beautiful tunes with the flies, that blustered 
around the tent and blew an occasional one down, just to 
show what it could do, was a little reminder of what we 
might expect when the real time came for the wind to blow. 
But the night of the 13th was not so slow. At 2 a. m. on 
the morning of the 12th the wind began to rise; it had been 
blowing from the north for a day and all through the 13th 
it kept rising higher till it sent the ocean breakers in white 
dashing billows against the coast of Playa. By 8 p. m. 
there was a heavy wind growing hourly stronger and by 
2 A. M.of the coming morning a regular hurricane was hav- 
ing its own way all over camp. The night was awful; the 



152 HISTORY OF THE 

flies banged the tent with a vengeance, the frames creaked,, 
the shrinking ropes pulled hard at the pegs and everywhere 
destruction was imminent. Many of the division hospital 
tents went down, all the assembly tents fell, and our own 
was irreparably ruined. The guard tents fell and from one 
to several tents in every company. The men were used 
to it, however, and when the wind got through they put 
them up again and were ready for drill. 

The month was full of history, though not all of it per- 
taining directly to the regiment; there was, however, the 
usual drill evolutions and the month's share of camp con- 
struction. 

All through the month there was in course of erection, 
in the rear of camp, a commodious and much needed, but, 
alas, never used bath house, a most convenient arrange- 
ment surpassing anything yet provided; a regular double 
decker. The upper story was provided with nine shower 
baths, the" lower with one large tub for twenty-five men, 
besides which there were other complete toilet arrange- 
ments for twenty-four men. Other regiments were also 
provided, the work in this case being done not by the men 
of the regiment but by the corps of engineers, Second 
United States. They made a fine bath house, but were a 
mighty long time at it. That it was ready for use some- 
time after the regiment left is to be presumed. 

On the 5th Colonel Backus drew the plan for the One 
Hundred and Si.xty-first Indiana band stand. It was to 
be octagon in shape, to be built of bamboo, and to sur- 
pass in uniqueness and beauty anything in the Seventh 
Army Corps. Would it be hard to substantially join the 
bamboo.-* Yes, but the colonel would do it. Forthwith 
wagons were sent into the country to procure the Cana 
Brava (bamboo), for the frame and the palm leaves for its 
characteristic thatched roof. It is not necessary to relate 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 53 

the adjutant's war with the Cuban farmer whose bamboo 
he had innocently appropriated, nor how the chaplain's 
mules ran away while he was pulling a mahogany post four 
feet out of the road side, but the poles and leaves were 
brought and the work began. When nails would not hold 
the poles were wired together; each of the eight sides were 
ten feet wide, seats edged with bamboo were put in place, 
the floor was made of famous Playa sand, the palm 
branches were strapped upon the roof and it was finished, 
a shining green Kiosque with accommodations for forty 
musicians. Of course the green faded out, the leaves were 
brown in a -day as if to remind us that man is like the 
grass of the field; in the morning it flourisheth and groweth 
up; in the evening it is cut down and withereth; but when 
the band played we forgot all about that. The companies 
were yet without dining rooms and February saw their 
•erection. Lieutenant Johnson, of Company A, had 
returned in time to complete the music stand, and Febru- 
ary 13, began work on the eating shacks. Ten feet in front 
of each kitchen was built a long narrow frame work and 
covered with paulines. Each was twenty-five feet long 
and fifteen feet wide, providing fifty men on either side 
with seating and table room. 

The drill was mostly battalion; for ten days it was 
battalion drill in the morning and dress parade.in the even- 
ing; then came a few days of company drill, and the lat- 
ter part of the month was devoted to battalion extended 
order drill and to " advance and rear guard work," in which 
latter the battalions marched into the enemy's country, 
threw out their skirmishers and advanced for points of 
attack; now toward some thatched hut, or some ravine or 
even God's holy house in Marianoa, but failing to find an 
enemy returned to camp and left the bewildered Cubans 
wondering: what thev had in mind to do. 



1,54 HISTORY OF THE 

Major Havens paid us his accustomed visit on the 6th. 
The major was always welcome. On the loth, at dress 
parade, the regimental photograph was taken on the hill- 
side, near the division hospital. Picture business paid 
better than a commission in the army. 

Among other events of peculiar interest to the army 
in general was the burial, on the iith, of the remains of 
General Calixto Garcia, an imposing ceremony, marred 
only by the childish action of the quick-tempered and 
pharisaical-dispositioned Cuban officials. The following 
is taken from La Lucha, of February 13: 

"The funeral of the Cuban general, Calixto Garcia, 
which took place on last Saturday afternoon, was altogether 
an imposing ceremony, not only on account of the divers 
elements which figured in it, but also on account of the 
immense number of people of all classes who literally 
covered the balconies and terraces of the houses and 
invaded the sidewalks and even the streets through which 
the mournful cortege was to pass. 

" Clubs to the number of eighty-three formed in the 
procession, in which were also to be seen four splendid 
hearses, respectively drawn by four, six and ten horses, 
the coaches laden with part of the floral crowns dedicated 
to the memory of General Garcia, whose body had been 
placed on the caisson of an American cannon. 

"Incompliance with President McKinley's instructions. 
General Brooke ordered that the honors of a general who 
had died incampaign should be rendered to General Garcia; 
accordingly four companies of cavalry and four batteries of 
artillery of the United States formed in the funeral; Gen- 
eral Brooke with his staff and escort also attended. 

"The caisson with General Garcia's body was followed 
by three priests on foot; then came General Garcia's sons, 
in a carriage; Generals Brooke, Chaffee and Humphreys 
and Colonel Richards and the secretaries, in three car- 
riages; General Brooke's staff and Lee and his staff, 
mounted, a cavalry troop; General Ludlow in a carriage, 
his staff mounted. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. I $5 

"The two corps of Havana firemen, that turned out in 
full at the end of the procession, greatly attracted atten- 
tion, on account of the fine look of their personnel, and 
brilliant uniforms. 

"It is really a pity that the misunderstanding occurred 
at the last hour, owing to which the delegates of the Cuban 
assembly, part of the members of the city council, all the 
Cuban generals and troops withdrew from the funeral, thus 
defrauding public expectation of seeing armed Cubans 
formed for the first time in this city; and a sentiment of 
uneasiness, as to the future consequences, became general." 

Four days more, and the 15th, bringing up the sad 
memory of a year ago, was at hand. It was the anniver- 
sary of the destruction of the Maine. The following order 
was received: 

Headquarters Seventh Army Corps, ) 

Camp Columbia, Havana, Cuba. v 

February 14, 1899. ) 

General Order No. 12. 

To-morrow being the anniversary of the loss of the 
United States battleship Maine, all duty in this command 
excepting the necessary guard and police, will be sus- 
pended. 

By command of Major-General Lee. 

R. E. L. MiCHiE, 
Assistant Adjutant-General. 

It was the night of February 15, 1898; it was 9:40 
o'clock. The sky was overcast, but now and then the soft 
rays of the clear moon would break through to kiss the 
placid waters of the bay as they gently washed the sides of 
the great vessel as if to say, "All is well." Taps had 
sounded and the boys had "turned in," and while they 
were sleeping and dreaming, perhaps, of home or per- 
chance of how they were bravely manning the guns in some 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. I 57 

great and honorable naval conflict, listening with pride in 
their dream-bound imagination to the thundering of the 
big twelve-inch guns, there was consummated the fiendish 
perfidy of an enemy, who did not dare to meet the defend- 
ers of Old Glory in fair and honorable battle, and therefore 
chose the cover of darkness to touch the lives of innocent 
men. 

Two hundred and fifty-four men were lost that night. 
A few of the one hundred rescued died shortly after. Feb- 
ruary 17 nineteen bodies were interred in Colon cemetery;, 
others followed, until more than a half hundred rest beneath 
that sacred mound. 

A year had passed since the tragic event, and a fitting 
memorial service was to be held in Colon cemetery. 

At 9:30 marines from the Brooklyn, the Resolute and 
the Lebanon, accompanied by a detail of sailors and their 
band, formed in front of the United States Club in the 
Prado, and with a troop from the Seventh Cavalry and a 
large procession of carriages and army ambulance contain- 
ing ladies with numberless wreaths of beautiful flowers, 
they started at 2 o'clock for Vedado. At the entrance to 
the cemetery they were joined by General Brooke and his 
staf^. At the same hour a battalion from the First Maine 
Heavy Artillery, one battalion from each division, one 
troop cavalry and one battery of light artillery formed in 
the road leading .to Havana with the head of the column 
resting at Puentes Grandes bridge. When this escort witb 
General Lee reached the cemetery part of the ceremony 
had been finished. The marines and sailors had drawn up, 
and as the Brooklyn band rendered a few selections they 
filed past the graves, each placing upon them some beauti- 
ful flowers. Then came the ladies with the other floral 
offerings. General Lee's party then came and rendered' 
similar tribute; a national salute of twenty-one guns was 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. I 59 

fired and the crowd passed out under the colossal arch of 
Havana's holy field, leaving- the dead heroes sleeping 
beneath a wilderness of flowers. It was impressive, solemn 
and pathetic; it was all that could be done to honor our 
country's dead, but the United States will have done its 
duty only when somewhere on the Prado or on some other 
suitable spot a beautiful and imposing monument rises to 
their memory. 

Since the narrative has entered the Havana cemetery 
it will be interesting to take the reader to one corner of this 
huge burying place, and there look upon one of the most 
shocking sights in Cuba — the "Human Bone Yard " — a 
cut of which is given on the following page. This enclosure 
is over seventy feet square, and the depth of the bone pile 
is over forty feet, containing, to-day, the bones of many 
millions of people. The rich man is hauled to his grave 
with highly caparisoned livery; the poor man carried in a 
rude coffin on the shoulders of four young men; according 
to his wealth, he is buried in his cof^n, or, as is more 
usually the case, taken out and lowered by a rope into his 
resting place in mother earth's bare bosom. The coffin- 
bearers each pick up a piece of dirt, kiss it, throw it upon 
the corpse, pick up their coffin and take it back to be used 
for the next poor man. A little lime is then thrown over 
the corpse and the grave-digger takes his hoe and scrapes 
in the soil to a depth of about eight inches above the poor 
fellow's remains, and the same grave is then ready for 
another occupant, who is not long in coming. If this is 
shocking, what follows is more so: For centuries the 
established church of that island has imposed a yearly grave 
tax, an exorbitant sum which the poor, of course, cannot 
pay, and as the poor predominate in numbers the hideous 
bone pile is the result, and every cemetery has its ghastly 
corner into which the grave-digger is busy throwing the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. l6l 

bones while he empties the grave for another tenant. The 
day of this heathenish practice is over! Up to Washington 
has gone the cry of the Cuban people, asking the privilege 
for their dead to rest undisturbed, and the influence of the 
starry flag, the ideas of the American nation, will make 
it so. 

In the regiment a corps review had been ordered. 
The first order for this review, dated February 8, corps 
headquarters, called for a review of the corps on the 
nth inst., at 3 o'clock p. m., on the open ground in the 
vicinity of the camp of the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana Volunteer Infantry by the major-general com- 
manding, division of Cuba. The drill ground in our vicinity 
was the largest and best available; it was thoroughly pre- 
pared by Cuban labor, giving to the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first Indiana the best practice ground in the whole 
Seventh Army Corps. 

Many of the regiments were on their way to execute 
the above order when it was revoked because of rain, and 
the men, already drenched, went back. It was ours to 
wait in the dry. On the same day, from regimental head- 
quarters, general order No. 6 was promulgated, stating the 
review would be held Monday, the 13th, with battalions 
ready to move at 2:30 p. m. All men able to bear guns to 
be in line and no one excused except in writing by the 
major-surgeon. 

Again the men were on their way. Again it poured 
and again came the order of postponement until Friday,, 
the 17th. This time the elements were threatening, but 
the review was on. The First Division was followed by 
the First Maine Heavy Artillery and then the Second Divis- 
ion, of which the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana was 
the last regiment, passed in review, followed by the Light 

Artillery Battalion and the Cavalry Squadron, which last,. 
11 



I 62 HISTORY OF THE 

for the satisfaction of the people, passed a second time, in 
running order. This was the first time in which General 
Lee himself, with his staff, passed the reviewing officer. In 
all, there were fifteen thousand soldiers in line. The troops 
were given a critical inspection, and a judgment that was 
favorable rendered for them all; the men were on their 
nerve that day and it would have been hard to find a better 
body of marching men. The spectacle was imposing and 
the impression was general that it would be the corps' last 
review. 

The 22d brought another anniversary and also an order 
for the suspension of all military duties. The men were al- 
lowed to go out in considerable numbers. Many officers were 
also absent, and it was a quiet camp all day. At 12 o'clock 
the national salute of twenty-one guns was fired, under the 
direction of the commanding officer of the Light Artillery 
Battalion, from the eminence on which the headquarters 
of the Second Division is located. 

At the same hour in the city of Havana occurred a 
review of the Regulars; the Cabanas guns tired a salute and 
the Seventh Cavalry Band played "America," which was 
the signal for beginning the march of three thousand men, 
who passed in review before Generals Brooke and Ludlow, 
who, with their staffs, had their reviewing positions in front 
of the " Inglaterra." 

The order was: Seventh Cavalry, Second Artillery 
and Tenth Infantry; the Eighth Infantry and two compa- 
nies of engineers bringing up the rear. 

The review only lasted about twenty minutes, the 
men returning immediately to camp. 

Salutes from the Texas and Brooklyn w^ere fired in 
response to that of Cabanas. 

The next day brought Gomez to Marianao. The old 
chief had skulked in the woods long enough; he had made 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 63 

terms with America for the payment of his army and was 
on the way to stand before the people whose cause he had 
espoused. The One Hundred and Sixty-first band had been 
asked to meet him and escort him through the city at i :30 
p. M., he was expected and the band was there, the popu- 
lace was there, hundred of soldiers in blue were there and 
the Cuban army was there, seven hundred infantry and live 
hundred cavalry, a strange mixture of color and age; we 
have remarked upon the color before; but there were young 
boys, children not over thirteen and some that were nearer 
twelve riding bony ponies small of stature, soldiers in the 
Cuban revolt. Every half hour brought a train, but not 
the general, and when the crowd had waited three hours 
and a half a special bearing the "stars and stripes" 
and the Cuban flag came rolling up from Quemados; 
every one knew it bore the expected chieftain and 
immediately a scene of greatest confusion reigned, the 
bands played and the multitude yelled. The mayor of 
Marianao had driven his handsome pony and carriage to 
the proper exit to receive the old hero, but some excited 
Cuban who knew it all persuaded him to quickly drive to 
the other entrance and about the time he got there Gomez 
came where the carriage first stood. What, no convey- 
ance to meet the old battle-scarred veteran ? and the crowd 
bearing down upon him! near the entrance stood an ante- 
deluvian shay with a skeleton between the shafts and an 
ebony faced driver on the seat. They jerked his old rattle- 
trap half way and the general the other half and would his 
posterity ever believe it the "peseta " hack-driver was to 
» drive the great Gomez through the streets of Marianao. 
Just then the mayor spun around the corner, and his angry 
passions rose; it was " carramba " with one hand and then 
" carramba " with the other, and then "carramba" with 
both and Mr. Know-it-all expostulated, and the mayor 



164 HISTORY OF THE 

expostulated and said " carramba " again, and just then 
four drops of rain fell from the sky and the old warrior of 
many a storm was in his mackintosh before it could be told 
and the dusty buggy top dropped over him and he was off 
before a third of the crowd who had stretched their cervi- 
cal vertebra so hard had a chance to see him. The One 
Hundred and Sixty-first band went before him playing 
"The Stars and Stripes Forever," while his Cuban follow- 
ers came behind him and thus he was escorted to Cuban 
headquarters; in the evening a reception was given and 
later in the theatre a ball. The general wore a slouch hat 
and around his neck was tied a silken handkerchief; he 
was a trifle stooped and his face bore signs of the hardships 
he had suffered in his late campaign. The next day he 
entered Havana and received the ovations of a grateful 
populace while the political charlatans were whetting their 
knives to stab him in the hour of his triumph. 

This suffices for February, unless it be to mention the 
26th, when the privates had an opportunity to watch and 
laugh while the line officers drilled, practicing sword salu- 
tation a la regulation ; or perchance to tell of how the boys of 
the Seveiath Army Corps changed the schedule on the 
' ' Ferro-Carril de Marianao. " It is a simple story of asimple 
plan. The trains didn't stop where the boys wanted to get on, 
and they " soaped " the track. The train stopped and the 
boys got on, but it caused General Lee the trouble of 
writing General Order No. 18, and then, of course, the boys 
stopped. 

During the latter part of February officers and men 
were in daily expectation of an order from brigade head- 
quarters sending the brigade out for a ten days or a two 
weeks' practice march. The Second Brigade had just 
returned from such a march, and it was generally under- 
stood that the First Brigade was to proceed upon a similar 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 165 

one, going, however, around the city through the Havana 
province, instead of the southwesterly direction taken by 
the Second Brigade. On February 27 (Sunday) Colonel 
Durbin, Major Smith and Major Olds made a prospecting 
tour, selecting suitable roadways and camping spots. 

In the meantime, however, the surgeon had, on Feb- 
ruary 25, sent up to division headquarters a protest against 
the plan. The protest received the approval of the acting 
chief surgeon of the division, but after going to the chief 
surgeon of the Havana province, was returned practically 
disapproving the protest, and recommending preparations 
for the march, which, though not yet ordered, had been set 
for March ist, but the major's protest was too sensible and 
weighty, and word came on March ist that the proposed 
practice march had been postponed, but the fact was that 
the idea was altogether abandoned. In the meantime the 
colonel had planned another march, that of a day's pleas- 
ure trip to Vento Springs. The adjutant, in company 
with Captain Fortune, picked the way on Wednesday, 
March ist, and in the early morning of the 2d, with 
Company A as advance guard, the regiment started on its 
way. When they came to the Second Division hospital the 
nurses and convalescents and all of Company M turned out 
to see them as they passed. The bugle corps did its best 
from the top of the hill till the railroad was crossed, when 
the band struck up "The Indiana State Band," and kept 
it up in a way that meant business till Real street was 
reached. The regiment marched out past the sugar factory 
to the main railroad, where the ambulances waited while 
they pushed on one and one-half miles to Vento. The 
band played a tune and the boys were turned loose. They 
took a swim, had lunch at 12, went down into the basin, 
went through the tunnel, and while some lounged others 
went over to visit the insane asylum, one-half mile away. 



I 66 HISTORY OF THE 

At 3:30 the regiment took its way toward camp, arriving 
at 5:45. 

Before tiie construction of the Vento springs the city 
had been inadequately suppHed with water from the Zanja 
and Ferdinand VII aqueducts; the magnificent aqueduct of 
Isable II, or of the Vento, was begun in 1859, deriving its 
supply from the pure and inexhaustable Vento springs on 
the edge of the Almandares river, nine miles from Havana. 

The aqueduct itself has already cost three million five 
hundred thousand dollars and is still incomplete, being 
temporarily connected with that of Ferdinand VII. It will 
cost three million dollars to complete it. The Vento 
spring is a wonderful construction, being a large stone 
basin open at the bottom, through which the spring bub- 
bles. The aqueduct is a tunnel of brick, eliptical in shape, 
placed under the ground and marked by turrets of stone 
placed along its course, carrying the water to two great res- 
ervoirs near Cerro and from thence to the city. An at- 
tempt was first made to pipe water for the camp from Ha- 
vana, but the elevation interfering, a big elevated tank was 
built near the Fourth Illinois by means of which the wa- 
ter was to be forced through the camps. On Sunday night, 
January 22, a tremendous crash was heard and as the men 
went flying toward the sound conjecture was running wild; 
it was generally conceded that a frightful wreck had oc- 
curred and Bruce of Company K declared he saw the train 
just go up and the head light just go out, but as they drew 
near they found the huge water tank smashed to splinters 
in a flood of water and mud. The water was afterwards 
piped from the reservoirs and every camp furnished with 
the clear, pure water of Vento. 

The asylum visited by the boys has a sad history; when 
war came its inmates were neglected; at General Lee's 
departure two thousand barrels of a wheat preparation, a 



< 

Z 

H 



in 

2 
z 

o 




I 68 HISTORY OF THE 

portion of America's gift to the starving people of Cuba, 
was left in the sheds at the wharf. This the Spanish au- 
thorities seized and divided it equally between three insti- 
tutions of which the asylum referred to was one. There 
were then one thousand and seventy-live inmates and from 
then until the fortunes of war changed no other provision 
was made to sustain their life and less than two hundred 
lived through that awful period of starvation — starved to 
death! The surviving ones are all nearly dark skinned, 
showing their superiority of physique and consequent power 
of endurance. 

A week of usual camp routine followed next. There 
was drill and parade, an issue of clothing by the quarter- 
master and a sermon by the chaplain. At dress parade on 
the 6th General Lee was present and was stationed at Colo- 
nel Durbin's left, while Lieutenant-Colonel Backus passed 
the regiment in review. The general, in company with 
Admiral Sampson, passed through camp again the follow- 
ing day and again on the 9th, in company with Captain 
Sigsbee of the Texas, visited camp, witnessed the review 
and stopped for conference with the colonel. Among 
other things the disposition of the Maine artillery tent 
floors was a matter in question. The Maine boys had left 
on the 8th and many of our own tents were still without 
floors; that evening a few floors found their way over the 
hill by mistake; the mistake was a simple one. Our regi- 
ment had been asked to put a guard over the much coveted 
property; the instruction to the guard was to allow no one 
to carry away the floors, but when he gave the instruction 
to his relief he said " no one is allowed to carry these floors 
but the One Hundred and Sixty-first," and the floors began to 
move. However, the next day they were given us by proper 
authority and were accordingly moved and made up for the 
regiment what it lacked in floors for its men. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



169 




Government Warehouse at Ouemados. 



On Friday, the loth, at 2:15 p. m., the battleships 
New York, Brooklyn, Indiana and Texas passed, in order 
named, along the coast on their cruising expedition to 
Cienfuegos and Santiago. Thirteen guns were fired by the 
light artillery frorn the eminence near division headquarters 
and the salute returned by the guns of the New York. On 
the loth the Exchange was moved out of its weedy corner 
and obscure surroundings and taken to the " Midway," so 
dubbed by the boys, for here was the band, the assembly 
tent, the post-of!ice, and the exchange and here the officers 
sent for their men when they were wanted and couldn't be 
found, spending idle moments listening to band practice, 
playing games, writing letters, buying stamps and soft 
drinks at the Exchange. It was also on the loth that cir- 



I70 



HISTORY OF THE 




Midway. 

cular No. ^ was issued from corps headquarters authoriz- 
ing regimental commanders to replace the drill on Tues- 
days and Thursdays with athletic exercises. 

Instead of fours right and column left there was to be 
dashes and hurdles, pole vaults, hammer throwing, shot 
putting, wrestling, base ball and foot ball. The athletic 
fiends were in high delight — great things would be done to 
other regiments — but while all the men were glad for a 
change they were not looking for a change of this kind; it 
was a change of country and this announcement savored of 
a longer stay than the most satisfied had hoped for, but 
the time of departure was too near at hand and the author- 
ization of such a programme, which, had it come earlier, 
would have produced a most excellent and acceptable 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



171 




Off for the Mail. 

change, was too untimely, for in less than two weeks prep- 
arations for " goin' home " were in progress. 

The next day, Saturday, March ii, brought Major 
Kenner, the paymaster, and also a new order of company 
inspection. Every tent was emptied and then taken down; 
it was the inspection order only, but it looked like some- 
thing else, and the yells sent up by the boys made the 
neighbor regiments believe we were; then the floors were 
raised, the soil underneath them scratched and everything 
left to ventilate, after which "as you were" was executed 
and inspection was over. 

Sunday was the I2th. The colonel and Major Smith 
had gone to Mantanzas; Chaplain Watts, of the First Texas, 
preached in the assembly tent; the officers at a meeting de- 
cided to give a reception, and on Wednesday the following 



1/2 



HISTORY OF THE 




invitation was sent to all the officers of the Seventh Army 
Corps: 

"The officers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Reg- 
iment Indiana Volunteer Infantry request your presence on 
Monday evening, March the twentieth, at the headquarters 
of the Corps of Engineers. 

"At eight o'clock. 
" Dancing " 

The rooms of the building were handsomely decorated 
with branches of the royal palm, and the affair, by all who 
were there, was pronounced the best kind of a success. 
Light refreshments were served, and in the court arbor a pe- 
culiar but excellent quality of lemonade was at the disposal 
of all throughout the evening; the officers did not stay late 
and sJunccd fine consideration for their sleeping eonirades 
by the qniet icay in zvhieh tJiey came into camp. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 73. 

On Monday, the 13th, Lieutenant John R. Ward, with 
a detail of six men, accompanied Paymaster Major Benja- 
min F. Havens on his pay trip among the regiments out- 
side Havana province. They visited regiments at Mantan- 
zas, Cardenas, La Union, Batabano and minor points, re- 
turning to the regiment the 26th. In January Lieutenant 
Durbin and in February Lieutenant Pitman, each with a 
detail of men, made similar trips with the major. It was 
an e.xcellent opportunity to see the country and a privilege 
that every one coveted. The detail was selected from the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana each time, and caused 
a little concern on the outside, but our friend. Major Ha- 
vens, is a Hoosier and no other explanation is needed. 

Tuesday, 14th, Major Blow, of the Fourth Virginia, 
an officer of the regular army, came into camp for investi- 
gation and instruction concerning the condition of company 
books; the officers gathered in the band stand and with 
mustering out in view were carefully reminded of the exact- 
ness and completeness of all record necessary for accept- 
ance by the authority on that day. Nothing of serious 
consequence occurred during the next few days save Kim- 
mel's white collar at dress parade and the report that sev- 
eral men strained their optic nerves looking out to sea for 
transports. 

For Friday, 17th, a brigade review was on. It was a 
farewell review for Colonel Joseph F. Armfield, commander 
of the brigade and colonel of the First North Carolina. 
Colonel Moulton, of the Second Illinois passed the brigade 
in review, and Lieutenant-Colonel Backus was in com- 
mand of the One Hundred and Sixty-first. Colonel Arm- 
field and his regiment left the following day, a week, for 
Savannah, Georgia. On Monday, 20th, instead of the 
usual regimental parade the battalions were reviewed by 
their respective commanders. 



174 HISTORY OF THE 

On the evening of this day there was organized "The 
Society of the Seventh Army Corps — Spanish-American 
War," of which Major-General Fitzhugh Lee was chosen 
president; Colonel Durbin was chosen as a member of the 
executive council. By article V of the constitution "all 
officers and soldiers who have served in the Seventh Army 
Corps in the war between the United States and Spain, 
possessing a good moral character and an honorable mili- 
tary record, shall be eligible to membership in the society." 

On Tuesday, 21st, at regimental parade, the regiment 
heard the following notification was read to them by the 
colonel: 

Commanding General, Havana, March 20, 1899. 

Buena Vista: 
Secretary of war directs the Second Illinois and the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana be prepared to go to 
States after regiments already ordered get away; you will 
be notified later when transport will be ready. Regiments 
should get their records complete. 

By command of Major-General Brooke. 

Signed Richards, 
Asst. Adjutant-General. 

The men heard these words in silence and marched 
back to quarters; they wanted to go home, of course, but 
neither at this time nor later when the information was 
definite as to time did there occur the joyful and noisy 
demonstration which characterized other regiments of men 
under the same circumstances. The esprit dc corps, the 
pride of reputation, the excellent health and fine feeling of 
the men and the entire environment made them satisfied 
and the certainty of a recall before the extreme heat set in 
made them willing to await what the department thought 
the proper time; nevertheless twelve hundred glad hearts 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



175 



beat under army blankets that night and twelve hundred 
imaginations were busy living through the scenes that were 
soon to occur in the homeland far awav. 




Company G Street by Moonlight. 



Thursday was a day of picture taking; the chaplain 
was busy preparing a regimental history and Waterman's 
photographer was busy with his camera; it was turned 
upon the sergeants and corporals and other such groups as 
could be called together, and then from an elevated con- 
struction hauled about in a wagon photographs of the regi- 
ment and views of camp were taken. In the afternoon 
Lieutenant-Colonel Backus passed the regiment in review 
before Colonel Durbin, adjutant in command of the First 
Battalion. 

The next day morning drill was replaced by camp 



176 



HISTORY OF THE 




Next 



cleaning, and at parade the men were told they might be in 
expectation of an order to move any day, and they were 
also given the pleasing information that small boxes con- 
taining their additional effects in the way of Cuban relics, 
etc., would be transported for them. 

In the evening the First North Carolina men, who 
were to leave the following day, paid us their parting 
respects by way of a noisy tin can serenade; the whole 
howling regiment, frantic because of home-going, came 
down upon us and made night hideous as they marched 
through the headquarters and battalion streets. It was 
indicative of the kindly feeling existing between the regi- 
ments of the brigade and made our boys glad to see the 
North Carolinians shout because they were going back to 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 77 

the cotton and the pine trees of their native state. The 
next day, Saturday, 25th, Major Blow again met with the 
officers; in the afternoon Major-General Brooke sent to the 
commanding general at Buena Vista the following infor- 
mation which was forwarded to this regiment, in substance 
that on the 29th and 30th inst. the Second Illinois was to 
leave and that efforts were then being made to secure the 
Ward line to land the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indi- 
ana in Tampa, Florida, by 12 o'clock, March 31. On 
the same day all ammunition and extra ordnance stores 
were turned in and Quartermaster Brunt took them to 
the government ordnance store at Fort Principe. 

On this Saturday an execution occurred under the 
" hangman's tree, " without an account of which and a pict- 
ure of the tree the history of the regiment would be incom- 
plete. The tree in question grew especially to hang people 
on; it has only one limb for the reason that so continuous 
has been the weight of bodies hanging from it that all the 
strength of the tree must be concentrated in this one limb 
to be able to bear the strain. The first use of this marvel- 
ous tree was when a band of bandits robbed a Spanish 
trading party and hung them all from the limb, tying the 
ropes about the trunk, and then not long thereafter the civil 
authorities having captured the bandits hung them all in 
turn, seventeen of them, from the self same limb ; the Cubans 
hung many a Spaniard there and in the recent war the 
number of Cubans strung up to this noted limb varies ac- 
cording to report, some declaring fifty ; others seventy-three 
and still others one hundred and fifty, and no doubt Weyler, 
the assassin and butcher, hung a whole town of reconcen- 
trados to the limb in question. The grass grows greener 
under the tree because the blood has fertilized the soil. 
At night a wise man always avoids passing it. Spooks and 

ghosts laugh at you with a fiendish laugfi and apparitions 
12 



178 



HISTORY OF THE 



of banging bodies dangling there knock against each other 
as they are blown about by wind that comes up from Playa 
beach. 

On the day in question a man was stood against the 
tree; ten rifles were leveled at him twenty feet away. The 
man could not be recognized from camp, one-quarter mile 




Hangman's Tree. 

away for his bandaged eyes disguised him, but it could be no 
other than the poor Louisiana soldier who in a drunken row 
had killed a comrade and was waiting death sentence in 
Marianao jail. Would they shoot before the men and offi- 
cers who saw them could get there? " After all do I want 
to see a poor fellow shot down.^" " My! its awful." "Why 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 79 

couldn't they give him a Hfe sentence?" " I tell you its 
sad, boys." " I don't know whether I want to go any 
farther or not, but if it's got to be done I guess I'll go on 
just to say I saw it." But before the men got more than 
half way the fatal moment came. There came a sharp 
metallic click and the awful deed was done, the rifles were , 
lowered and the poor boy in blue threw up his hands and — 
took the bandage from his eyes — the photograph was taken. 
Under the circumstances it is not policy to mention every 
name, but if Captain Osborne and Captain Gwinn and Major 
Olds had caught Lieutenant Dority just then another man 
might have been hung from that famous tree. 

Monday forenoon, the 27th, an order came calling for 
a corps review, by the secretary of war, that day at 4:30 
p. M. The arrival of the secretary of war in Havana and 
his conference with the heads of departments was an occa- 
sion of great moment for the military administration of 
affairs in the island. The corps review was held in his 
honor; it was the last review of the corps, and it was frag- 
mentary, there being only seven regiments, besides the 
artillery and cavalry, to participate. Seventeen guns, the 
proper salute for a member of the cabinet, was fired by the 
batteries as the secretary, with his escort, arrived upon the 
field. The Fourth Illinois, Ninth Illinois, Third Nebraska, 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana, Second Illinois, Forty- 
ninth Iowa and Sixth Missouri passed in review in the 
order named. The cavalry and artillery passed the review- 
ing stand twice, as usual; but this time, as if it were their 
last opportunity, showed the secretary and everybody else 
how fast they could go. It was a fine exhibition of mili- 
tary horsemanship, and a whole circus and hippodrome to 
see them dash by with just danger enough to make it real 
exciting. In view of who the reviewing officer was, the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana had a record to sus- 



l80 HISTORY OF THE 

tain. How eyes did open at the sight of those big compa- 
nies and straight Hnes! The secretary only said to the 
colonel, as he retired, " It beat Jacksonville " — three words 
big with meaning. 

In the evening General Brooke tendered the secretary 
a reception. Prominent officers of the army and navy and 
their wives and many leading citizens were present. The 
Seventh Cavalry band furnished music, and the occasion 
was one of the most pleasant social events held in the city 
since the evacuation. While Colonel Durbin was in 
attendance at this reception. Major Megrew being in com- 
mand of camp, a telegram was received stating that the 
command would leave camp at daybreak on Wednesday 
morning and embark on the steamship Logan for the 
United States. All next day the camp was a busy scene 
of men hurrying to and fro, packing boxes and getting 
things in readiness for the long looked for and hoped for 
event. 

The evening was one of preparation for the morning's 
departure. The chaplain was holding nightly services in 
the assembly tent, and that night was an unexpected fare- 
well service. Fires were consuming all combustible leav- 
ings, and the whole camp was lighted by the flames. There 
was not much sleep that night. The men's brains were 
busy, and they were restless for the coming of the morn- 
ing. One man mistook 2 o'clock for 5 and began to 
wander about beating upon a washpan in an attempt to 
raise the camp, until either the sight of the Third Bat- 
talion commander in his night shirt or his mighty voice 
commanding silence scared the fellow back to his cot. 
At 4 A. M. reveille sounded, a hasty but good breakfast 
taken, the wagons loaded, assembly call given at 5:45, and 
at 6 A. M., promptly, the colonel commanded: "Forward, 
march! " The wagon train had gone before, and the regi- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. l8l 

ment marched past Buena Vista Station and formed in line 
of masses before General Lee's headquarters, where the 
general was standing to see the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first Indiana march away. Colonel Durbin dismounted 
and, saluting, said: " I have the honor to report the 
departure of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
\'olunteer Infantry." The colonel had in mind to say 
other things, but the occasion was one of deep emotion and 
he could only grasp the old general's hand and say: ' ' Good 
bye, and God bless you! " and he turned away. The tear 
in General Lee's eye spoke for him as he watched the 
colonel mount and the regiment move away. 

The regiment then proceeded out on the road to the 
city, marching by way of Vedado, where they came to 
" port arms " in passing General Brooke and other officers 
before headquarters, arriving at San Jose wharf at 9:30, 
after a three and one-half hours' march, where the men 
piled themselves up in the shade to rest and wait for the 
order to move on board the transport. 



CHAPTER X. 



THE DEPARTURE, VOYAGE AND ARRIVAL. 

The wagon train had come in before them and the 
1!lock men were busy loading the effects upon small flat 
cars, pushing them out on the pier and preparing them for 
the hoist that carried them up and down into the two hatch- 
ways of the vessel; if the regiment and its effects could be 
on board by 4 o'clock or thereabouts, the transport was to 
make for Savannah, which port it could reach by noon of 
the 31st in time to avoid quarantine; otherwise we were 
to reach the states by way of Tampa, and be necessarily 
inconvenienced by a ten days quarantine. 

To be ready by any ways near 4 o'clock seemed impos- 
sible, according to the progress usually made in moving a 
regiment on board a vessel, but it is doubtful if ever a trans- 
port was loaded with greater rapidity than this, and the won- 
der is that more boxes and a few heads were not smashed. 
Boxes, trunks and barrels were piled together in the net 
or looped within a single rope,, the cog wheel began to 
play and away they went with a swing and a bang and a 
chorus of Cuban ejaculations; they made new bundles 
while the one just sent pp swung in the air above them. 
Now and then a bundle came back with a smash, but 
always missed a Cuban, or if it reached the hatchway 
hole beat the rope to the bottom with a bang and scat- 
tered their contents on the floor. The boys lounged 
under the wharf shed till 3 o'clock and then began to board 
the vessel. Lieutenant-Colonel Backus, executive officer 
of the vessel, superintended their embarkment. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIKST INDIANA. 1 83 




San Jose Espigon (wharf.) 

They came with guns and knapsacks and canteens, but 
they came with more. The beasts and the birds were 
there; this fellow had a dog and another one a rabbit and 
company F's snake charmer had his mammoth serpents; 
there were yellow breasted canaries and game roosters, 
green parrots in wire cages; one fellow had a cat with 
kittens; he had taken puss with him from Savannah and 
while on that productive soil she gave birth to nine kittens; 
each one was worth its weight in gold, for it was born in 
" Cuby," and mother and all should go back to Freedom's 
holy land; and there were canes and small portable boxes 
of this, that and the other thing, and what the men didn't 
have heaven knows they did have in their boxes among the 
heavy baggage. Company officers stood at the foot of the 
gang stairway and noted the men as they passed and quite 
a few failed to pass, not One Hundred and Sixty-first men, 
but discharged soldiers, fired teamsters and cooks and an 



1 84 



HISTORY OF THE 




A Few of Them. 

occasional speculator who had gone broke, all seeking 
passage back to a better land. They were a persevering 
lot of fellows and when turned down once would try again 
until some officer was charitable enough to disobey orders 
and allow an occasional one to slip along. A rope lad- 
der lowered for a couple of late passengers brought up the 
rest and all on board, at 5.05 p. m., the well loaded vessel, 
assisted by the tug Gladisfen, slowly turned its prow to the 
north and started for the harbor exit close by Morro's 
massive walls. 

The band played "The Stars and Stripes" and "A 
Hot Time;" the vessels that lay at anchor in the harbor 
filled the air with the shrill noise of steam whistles; the 
Paris' decks were filled with tourists who cheered us loudly 
as we passed; a steam launch ran out to cheer us on our 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 85 




Going on Board the Logan. 



way, and the band of the Resolute played "Home, Sweet 
Home; " there was a moment's quiet and a piercing Indian 
yell came from behind that caused every man on board to 
turn toward the wharf; it was " Broncho John," the man 
with the record of the plains, a familiar figure in the Sev- 
enth Army Corps, who added a little romance to its his- 
tory; he was astride his horse at the end of the pier bidding 
us good-bye with his characteristic yell and a wave of his 
coat, and the boys returned it with fine imitation and a 
rousing spirit. Past the Maine, past Cabana, past Morro 
at 5-23 and out into the ocean the steamship went and we 
were " goin' home." Things were different than when we 
entered; Cabana's walls were not lined with Spanish sol- 
diers and Old Glory waved from Morro. Scenes that 



1 86 



HISTORY OF THE 



three and a half months before were strange were then fa- 
miliar, and a mission, the idea and purpose of which when 
we first came into such environments played upon the emo- 
tions of the American soldiers, no longer moved him as 
before, but left him alone with his musings of where he 
was going. 

The vessel was a government transport, formerly the 
Manitoba, but re-named the Logan. It was four hundred 
and fifty-seven feet long, several feet shorter than the Mo- 





LOGAN. 



bile, and, although a comfortable and substantial vessel, it 
could hardly be called the Mobile's equal. It had, how- 
ever, more deck room for the men than had the Mobile, 
while the officer's quarters were smaller. In place of cots 
for the men, hammocks were provided, which arrangement 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



187 



allowed better ventilation. The vessel made sixteen knots 
an hour over the bottom, and thirteen and a half feet through 
the water, dropping anchor at the quarantine station in the 
Savannah harbor at 9:15 a. m. , Friday, the 31st — forty- 
hours since 5:05 p. m., Wednesday, the 29th, when the 
line was cast off at San Jose pier. From Savannah to 
Havana and return, allowing eight hours for loading, it 
was the fastest record yet made by a government transport. 
The sea was just a trifie rough the first morning out, and 
officers and men, who had voluntarily thrown up home 




Not Feeling So Well ! 

and friends and position for suffering Cuba's sake, began to 
throw up again simply because they couldn't help it for 
their feelings' sake. The sea grew calmer and the vessel 
grew steadier and the politicians, so long out of practice, 
realizing the early return to their profession, called a mock 
convention to determine by their knavery the political des- 
tiny of some of their comrades. 



1 88 HISTORY OF THE 

Vick M. Backus imposed himself upon the convention 
as self-constituted chairman. Oratory was on tap and 
flowed like greased liquid. Much opposition was encoun- 
tered to " old man " Gwinn's nomination for sheriff of Rush 
county, but the gallant old veteran's record of daring 
bravery in the Mexican war was too deserving of recogni- 
tion, and at the end of a hot debate, was given the unani- 
mous nomination for said position. Percy Welsh, of Hoop- 
pole township, Posey county, was made a nominee for 
coroner of his township, but so far forgot himself as to in- 
sult the chairman, whereupon Ward, of White, arose and 
startled the convention by masterly eloquence, in which he 
repudiated the man Welsh, who quailed into speechless- 
ness under the scathing denunciation. The new discovered 
Demosthenes closed his phillipic by placing Congressman 
Brunt's protege, Sam Cahn, in nomination, who was 
thereupon chosen by the convention amidst wild acclama- 
tion. Messages of condolence were to invalid Hudgins 
and the convention adjourned to meet in the saloon at 7:30 
p. M. Wickliff Smith was unanimously chosen chairman, but 
Backus intimidated the convention at the point of weapon 
and when Smith started for the chair he found himself star- 
into the depths of a pistol in the hand of the determined and 
now desperate Backus; Smith was afraid to take his seat, 
whereupon he was vehemently denounced as a traitor to his 
convictions a proceedings began with Backus in the chair. 
Harold Megrew and Albert D. Ogborn, by appointment of 
the previous sitting, reported a draft of resolutions denounc- 
ing all intoxicating liquor but whiskey, advocating all kinds 
of money as long as there was plenty of it, and granting the 
toiling millions leave to toil. The scene that followed was 
a stormy one. Waterlilly Kimmel led the race for con- 
gressman of the Sixth district, and Ivy, of police fame, was 
made the convention's choice for justice of the peace of 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 89 

Clark county. Welsh was there with blood in his eye — 
the time for vengeance came when Ward, of White 
county, was made a nominee; he defamed his charac- 
ter and his well-known reputation for honesty and 
truthfulness carried the opinion of the representatives 
present, but when the man from White arose to acknowl- 
edge his defeat, he did'nt do a thing to the man from 
Posey, and the convention adjourned after firing Welsh 
from the salon. 

The next morning at 8 o'clock, the Logan was near- 
ing the muddy mouth.of the Savannah river. As she drew 
near her mooring place the indispensable tugs were there 
to help the big boat to her place. There was the " H. C. 
M. Smith," whoever that referred to, that brought the 
inspecting surgeon on board, and there was the " Daunt- 
less " of filibustering fame, that ran her twenty miles an 
hour and cost the governments of Spain and United States 
so much in vain endeavor to catch her; huge lighters were 
pushed alongside and the work of .unloading began. At 
12:10 the Santee, a strange bulk of a boat came and took 
the First Battalion over to the dread fumigation plant;what 
they would do to us was the supreme query all the way 
from Cuba. Strange stories of that mysterious place had 
been circulated; the men were to be stripped and steamed 
until all the Cuban brown would leave their skin and they 
were to go home as fair faced as a new-born child. Some 
of the men had come into possession of little pieces of 
hardened shapeless rubber purported to be fumigated but- 
tons — relics were to melt and run together and every par- 
rot, cat, canary, rooster and dog would be cleansed beyond 
recognition if he came out alive. The First Battalion 
returned at 3:15 and all the satisfaction they gave the rest 
was "what they'll do to you '11 be a plenty," and they 
were towed to the city along with the commissary goods. 



I go 



HISTORY OF THE 



that were not subject to fumigation. At 4 p. m. another 
load went over and passed us on their way to Savannah, 
with the message " they wont do a thing to you when they 
get you." 

Night fell over the Logan, a Company C man fell into 
the water, and in the morning the rest of the regiment 
started in two bodies to the place of torture. We were 
first subjected to a long wait, in which they let loose on us 
about sixty millions sand gnats, that bit and stung worse 
than Morro tieas; then the men marched in to an open 
space and prepared such baggage as they carried with them 
for the cauldron. It is only fair to say the fumigating 
authorities had their own way about it all; not the least 
concession of any character would they make unless some 
petty condition was complied with. If you only had one 
laundered shirt it must have all the starch steamed out of 
it in the fumigatory process, unless you wore it, in which 
case it didn't need fumigation. Blankets which were aired 
almost every day must be steamed into worthlessness. but 
clothes and overcoats that hung for months in the tents 
passed without it. At first men were stripped and dressed 
in pajamas to stand around like hospital convalescents, 
while their every piece of clothing went in the cylinder; 
but this got wearisome for the management and such care- 
fulness was afterward dispensed with, but such articles as 
were steamed got two hundred and twenty degrees for 
twenty minutes, and the most skeptical had but to lay the 
tip of his little finger on them as they emerged to be most 
thoroughly convinced that every flea. United States gray- 
back and every vermin of every kind, carrying concealed 
about his person any contagious microbes of smallpox or 
yellow fever, had suffered a most horrible death; but they 
deserved it all for what they did to us in Cuba. Any 
leather that went felt in awful little when it came out, as 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. IQI 

the accompanying cut will fully demonstrate to a careful 
observer. 




Most leather goods were dipped in a solution of water, 
bichloride of mercury and sodium chloride and dirt, while 
boxed articles were sprinkled with sawdust, moistened with 
a solution of formaldehyde or some such concoction of sim- 
ilar name; it was a big nuisance and a regular April fool but 
no doubt a great life saving station and all its attendants 
worthy a medal of honer from its superintendant to the 
small' boy who slipped the officers red chalk to O. K. 
unfumigated goods, for if those terrible microbes who came 
with us, transportation free, from Cuba had ever got loose, 
the entire south would have been overwhelmed with an 
appalling loss of life. We might in return for courtesy 
received, suggest to its worthy proprietors an excellent 
motto " a thing worth doing is worth doing well." Per- 



192 HISTORY OF THE 

sonal fumigation being over, at 2:40, with empty stomachs, 
we embarked on the Santee and, assisted by the Dauntless, 
made our way up to the city wharf. Wagons were ready 
to haul us to camp and at 6 p. m, we came up with the 
rest of the regiment gone on before, with a camp laid out 
on the ground formerly occupied by the Forty-ninth Iowa. 
The tents were old ones of every description, left behind 
by the regiment that had previously gone to Cuba; at camp 
Columbia we had better tentage than any regiment in the 
Seventh Army Corps, besides the men, the officers also 
having each one a large (hospital) tent, but here we tum- 
bled into what ever was at hand and, unwashed and 
unkempt, froze around till our washpans and blankets were 
released from quarantine. The regiment came over with- 
out a sick man and this deprivation caused more sickness 
than the steaming of those imaginary bacterial microbes 
ever prevented, but a soldier must have a heart for any 
fate and so with hearts that were cheerful because the 
time was short and because the stiff winds that chilled them 
through and through were American and therefore better 
than the balmy breezes and warm sunshine of Cuba, the 
men began the last chapter of their experience in the war 
they had undertaken to assist. 



CHAPTER XI. 



MUSTERING OUT MONTH. 

Camp Homeward, April 2-30, 1899. 
The evening of April Fool's day found the regiment 
once more together and when Sunday, the 2d, dawned, a 
month of hard work stared everybody in the face; the 
guard played guard mount, and next day the regiment 
played parade, after which the colonel said a few words 
and business was on in earnest thereafter. There was 
plenty eating every where and the messes were never 
formed, but at a meeting of officers on the 5th it was 
announced that suitable arrangements could be made with 
the genial Holmes couple who had been in the restaurant 
business all the way to Cuba and back, and a decision 
reached which drew all the regimental officers around their 
well spread table three times a day for $5 a week. The 
same day the baggage came from the place of its retention 
by the fumigating authorities. The officers had gone frozen 
by night and unkempt by day, until the bedding and wash- 
pans arrived; the stuff came and every man had to hunt his 
own — it brought with it a smell that hasn't left it yet and 
which so infected the bedding that when a man tucked it 
under his nose for the night he expected to wake up in the 
morning axphixiated or chloroformed or in a condition 
that might be worse. But the rough part of it all was that 
many articles of value never came at all; one thing is 
evident, they were either lost or stolen — the reader may 
form his own opinion, but in either case the responsibility 
is not hard to fix. 

13 



194 HISTORY OF THE 

The first week was intensely chilly, especially at night 
for men fresh from Cuba, and all the rusty oil stoves of 
former Savannah days were started on the burn; a certain 
lieutenant of Company F, with honors fresh upon him, 
built his camp fire upon the floor of his tent, but the ma- 
jority of the officers spent the nights in town previous to 
the arrival of their blankets. 

Captain Beckert, of the Sixteenth United States, the 
mustering out officer for the regiment, had made his ap- 
pearance and was busy with the inspection of company 
books and records. While Surgeons Gerrish and Wilson were 
busy at medical inspection of the Fourth Virginia men the 
men of the One Hundred and Sixty-first were marching by 
companies to a building in the camp of the Two Hundred and 
Second New York, where a board of medical examiners, con- 
sisting of Surgeons Pead and Old, of the Fourth Virginia, 
arid Tetamore, of the One Hundred and Second New 
York, under direction of Surgeon Howard, of the United 
States Army, endeavored to find out how many of those 
who enlisted able bodied were crippled at the close of the 
war. The men who reported themselves as sound were 
passed with little or no examination, while those who re- 
ported unsound were tested as to the genuineness of their 
disability. The arrangement was a mutual protective con- 
cern; it began Friday, the 7th, with Company G, and 
ended Monday, the band and the staff being examined the 
last day. 

The day for turning in ordnance stores had been set 
for Wednesday, the 12th; accordingly, Tuesday was the last 
day with guns and good use was made of the time. At 9 
A. M. the regiment marched to the Dale Avenue camp with 
the purpose of making a regimental call on the First North 
Carolina and the Second Louisiana; Colonel Durbin, in 
a neat speech, spoke of the good feeling entertained by 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 95 

the Hoosiers for the men from Carolina, of the pain in 
breaking associations that had been so friendly and wishing 
Colonel Armfield and his men God-speed, he said good-bye 
for the regiment. There were cheers for the regiment, 
cheers for the brigade which Colonel Armfield commanded 
and cheers for the Seventh Army Corps. Arms were 
stacked, and while the men spent half an hour talking of 
Cuba and of home, the ofBcers of the regiments mingled 
in social and farewell intercourse. On the return march a 
like scene occurred at the camp of the Second Louisiana, 
where the Indiana men were warmly welcomed by the 
"Tigers" from the south. Lieutenant-Colonel DuFour 
made a touching little speech which was warmly and loudly 
applauded by the men in ranks. He declared that he was 
glad to see that all sectional feeling had been wiped out and 
that the northern men had it in heart to thus visit the 
regiments from the south and wished that everything good 
might attend the Hoosier boys as they went back to their 
homes in the north. 

Wednesday was a picture taking day and in the midst 
of the greatest rush of business, for the order had come for 
the turning in of all ordnance stores; before the captains' 
tents the guns were stacked and the knapsacks, haversacks 
and canteens were placed in piles of five, and after Lieuten- 
ant Guignard, of the Fourth United States Artillery, had 
passed along to inspect them they were snugly packed away 
in boxes and Uncle Sam's wagons came along and took them 
away. Each company was in possession of ordnance 
stores to the amount of about three thousand dollars. Six 
companies completed this work on the 13th, and six on the 
14th. On the 13th the first attempt since leaving was 
made to mount the guard without arms; it was not an easy 
thing to do and the men that gathered round to watch had a 
little fun at the guard's expense. During these days neither 



196 HISTORY OF THE 

pen can describe nor words can tell the awful agony of toil 
through which the captains and their clerks were passing, 
burning the midnight oil out of their lamps and the energy 
out of their lives in preparing the muster rolls for the men 
to sign; there were only five of them for each company 
and the men pitched horse-shoes while the officers worked 
and when they were signed, every one of the five by every 
man in the company, they were subjected to a board of ex- 
aminers composed of the lieutenants, who labored through 
them and sent them back for needed correction. 

For the men the following week was one of monoto- 
nous waiting, going out perhaps at drill time for a little 
exercise and spending the rest of their time at the popular 
game of quoit pitching or in trying to borrov/ a dime to 
take them to town and back. In the forenoon of the 17th 
the officers of the One Hundred and Sixtieth Indiana paid 
their respects to the regiment by a visit to its officers. 
They called at the colonel's tent where it was suggested 
that Chaplain Vigus,.of the visiting regiment, excuse him- 
self in order to call on the chaplain of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first, who was at that time in his own tent; 
the chaplain coiisidci-atc/y did so. 

In the evening of this day the flag pole that was set up 
in front of Colonel Bryan's headquarters at Camp Cuba 
Libre in place of the one that was not set up met with a 
sad fate; other men have secured lumber for canes, but it 
was in the bright light of day, but this was done under the 
cover of night; it only goes to show what crimes are com- 
mitted in the name of politics; the said flagpole had come 
all the way from Jacksonville intact, but the Bryanitically 
inclined officers who, in army life generally, live pretty 
close to where the flag pole ought to go, could not resist 
the temptation to reduce it to walking-stick lengths which 
will now come into possession of Bryan disciples and 16 to I 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 1 97 

will make them believe all the harder in his princi- 
ples because they have a cane made from his flag pole, 
and Major Smith is willing to leave it to all sound 
thinking people if that was not a greater crime than 
losing eighteen dollars on a bluff or smuggling mahogany 
posts out of a hospital tent. 

The next [.'day the colonel went to Washington; the 
men did not know exactly for what, but they knew all 
railroad agents had been torbidden to do business in the 
regiment and they were a little curious and anxious to know 
what the commanding officer would have to say when he 
returned; he came back on Sunda}', the 23d, and after 
dinner the officers' call was blown and the Colonel told 
them in substance the purpose and result of his mission. 
It had resulted in an invitation from the President of the 
United States for this regiment to return home by way of 
Washington, at which place he would take pleasure in 
reviewing it. The Secretary of War had also expressed a 
desire to see again the regiment whose splendid appearance 
and marching had called from him on previous occasions 
words of such high commendation. The trip was to cost 
the men no more than a ticket the shortest way home and 
would afford to them perhaps the opportunity of their life- 
time to see the capital city of the nation with its interest- 
ing and historical sights. The officers then gave an expres- 
sion, after which the men were called before the colonel, 
and he told them the same things requesting them to think 
the matter over and give their company commanders an 
expression at retreat and roll call. It was accordingly 
done and the answer came in an almost unanimous desire 
to accept the President's invitation. 

The next morning witnessed a new departure in the 
guard mount: Lieutenant-Colonel Backus was officer of day, 
Major McGrew mounted the guard. Adjutant Tichenor was 



198 



HISTORY OF THE 



acting sergeant major, and the captains accompanied each 
the detail of men from his company; the boys expected o 
have a laugh but the major fooled them; however, they 
had it the next morning when Colonel Durbin was made 
officer of the day and Lieutenant-Colonel Backus took his 
turn at mounting the guard; the boys meant no discourtesy 
to their superior officer, but they simply couldn't help but 
laugh. In the morning Lieutenant Johnson distinguished 
himself by championing the cause of the despised and 
abused colored woman. The Fourth Virginia men were 
engaged in the unmanly and shameful conduct of tossing 
a poor defenseless colored washerwoman in a blanket. 
For shame! Let it be a man. boys, even though he be white. 




but a woman is a woman, be her color what it may, and a 
good black woman is a thousand times better than a bad 
white one. The Savannah Morning News of the 27th, 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 1 99 

said: " It was reported last night that a woman who was 
in a delicate condition was tossed in the Fourth Virginia 
camp day before yesterday, and that yesterday she died." 
How true this report was we do not know, but apart from 
any serious consequence the act was a disreputable out- 
rage, indecent and disgusting, and the conduct of those 
men a disgrace to their own color; to a man of true senti- 
ment it was funny, but gratifying, to see the colored wash- 
woman run to the Indiana camp because she knew the 
Hoosiers would protect her. 

On April the loth General Lee had issued his last 
General Order to that portion of the Seventh Army Corps 
still in Cuba. It was as follows: 

Headquarters Seventh Army Corps, ] 
Ca'mp Columbia, 
Havana, Cuba, April lo, 1899. j 

General Orders No. 24. 

The order has been received vvihich moves the last regi- 
ment of the Seventh Corps across the sea to be mustered 
out of the service of the United States. The ranks of its 
organization are forever broken. The record made by the 
officers and men will be forever preserved. The pages of 
military history of their country will inscribe the deeds of 
no troops who won a greater reputation for discipline, drill, 
and manly discharge of duty, soldierly conduct and cheer- 
ful obedience to all orders. 

The President's assurance, had the war with Spain 
continued, that the Seventh Corps would have been selected 
to lead the assault upon the Havana lines, proves that the 
Corps possessed the confidence of the Commander-in-Chief 
of the Army and Navy, a confidence shared by his fellow 
countrymen. 

It is gratifying to review the career, and remember the 



200 HISTORY OF THE 

harmony which existed amonj:; the forty thousand soldiers 
who answered the roll-call at Tampa, Jacksonville, Savan- 
nah, and Cuba. Whether it were the "Volunteers" who 
afterwards at various times broke ranks, and resumed the. 
duties of American citizenship, or the "Regulars," whose 
standards are still flying, and who are now the advance 
sentinels of American progress and civilization, — sol- 
diers of the North and South took the sunshine and 
storm of camp together, and marched side by side under 
one flag, in one cause, for one country. 

Their cordial support and unvarying kindness to the 
Corps Commander will be gratefully cherished, and though 
his military connection with comrades and soldiers be 
severed, the connection that binds him to what concerns 
their lives, their prosperity and success in days that are to 
come will never be broken. 

May health and happiness crown their days, and when 
their thoughts sometimes wander back to Camps Cuba 
Libre, Onward, and Columbia, may their hearts beat quicker 
as they remember they once marched under the banners of 
the Seventh Army Corps. 

FiTZHUGH Lee, 
Major General U. S. Volunteers, Commanding. 

This order was communicated to the One Hundred 
and Sixty-First Indiana Volunteer Regiment by the Col- 
onel on the morning of the 22nd and with it came also his 
own last General Order: 

Headquarters 161 st Ind. Volunteer Infantry, ) 

In Camp Near Savannah, Georgia, '- 

April 22, 1899. ) 

General Order No. 8. 

In communicating to you General Order No. 247, 
Havana, Cuba, April 10, which is the farewell order of our 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 20I 

recent corps commander, General Fitzhugh Lee, your com- 
manding officer desires to add his personal testimony, and 
convey to you in order his parting words of commendation of 
your services to your country — leaving your homes and your 
civil pursuits with only one thought and ambition, and that 
to answer the call of our President to maintain the honor 
of our flag and punish the insult offered in the destruc- 
tion of the battleship Maine and the murder of part of her 
gallant officers and crew. You gave to the world that you 
were ready, willing and anxious to make any sacrifice re- 
quired of you, coming as you did unacquainted and unedu- 
cated in military affairs or training and attaining to a high 
degree of proficiency speaks more than words of mine can 
convey. Your services have been truly honest and faith- 
ful; by your intelligence, desire, devotion and hard work, 
you were quickly made acquainted with the details of drills 
and maneuverings necessary. By your conduct and sol- 
dierly deportment and bearing you attracted to your- 
selves favorable notice. In your camp conditions, in which 
none excelled you in neatness, tidiness and sanitary condi- 
tions, you received the favorable commendation of your su- 
eriors. In your drills, tactics, parades and reviews you have 
had the plaudits of men, the compliments and highest praise 
of officers of the highest grade, including the Honorable Sec- 
retary of War. These favorable expressions belong to you. 
They have been honestly and honorably earned and will be 
pleasant memories in years to come. You are not return- 
ing to your homes battle-scarred, and I believe I voice the 
feeling of each one of you when I say that our regret is that 
no opportunity was afforded to add to honors, bravery and 
gallantry under fire and in battle, and we must quit the 
service with the consolation that what was given us to do 
we did cheerfully and to the best of our ability. In part- 
ing as soldiers, let us always cherish the kindliest feeling 



202 HISTORY OF THE 

and consideration for each other, that feehng of comrade- 
ship which in after years will link us together as brothers. 
In going to your homes in the pursuits of civil life carry 
with you the assurance of your colonel that you are en- 
shrined in his heart's affections and for each officer and man 
of the regiment he has the highest personal regard and his 
prayers and strong desire shall always be for your welfare, 
and wherever you may go may heaven's choicest blessings 
be yours. 

Thanking you for your willing obedience to orders and 
requirements, whatever their character, at all times. 

Your Colonel. 

On Wednesday evening the officers were the guests of 
Colonel Durbin at an elaborately spread banquet in the ban- 
quet hall of the DeSoto. Sergeant-Major Starr was the 
ranking officer in camp and between the hours of 7:30 p. 
m. and i a. m. wore his "blushing honors full upon him" 
in a manner becoming the only sergeant-major who ever 
commanded a regiment. The officers went to the city at 
7:30 in two cars especially reserved for them at Liberty 
street, marched to the hotel and were soon gathered around 
tables formed in a hollow square and most beautifully dec- 
orated with potted flowers. It was a notable and joyous 
occasion, every man was happy, and yet every one was 
touched with a solemn feeling as they realized that the 
gathering was a farewell one and that the associations that 
had for the past ten months bound them together were 
about to be broken and the habiliment of the soldier laid 
aside for the dress of civil life. Between the servings 
there was jovial conversation and fun poked at everybody, 
and at the close of the repast the followitig toasts were 
responded to: 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 203 

The American Soldiers — Lieutenant-Colonel Backus. 

The Volunteer Soldier — Captain Ogborn. 

Indiana and her Soldiers — Captain Fortune. 

The Indiana National Guard — Major Megrew. 

Our War with Spain — Lieutenant Welsh. 

Phenastine, and why he fed us Quinine — Major Smith, 
followed by Lieutenants Gerrish and W^ilson. 

The Old Army Mule — Quartermaster Brunt. 

Cuba and her Senoritas — Lieutenant Ward. 

The Value of a Pair of Deuces — Captain Scott. 

What we Should Think of Ourselves as Soldiers and 
Citizens— Chaplain Biederwolf. 

How we Won a Home — Major Olds. 

The Lieutenant and How He Got There — Lieutenant 
Comstock. 

How the Tenth Infantry made Good Soldiers — Lieu- 
tenant Owens. 

The Folks at Home — Captain Guthrie. 
The One Hundred and Sixty-tirst Volunteer Infantry — 
Col. Winfield T. Durbin. 

It was one of those long-to-be-remembered events; 
everything was said that could be said and just those 
things that should have been said; and it is needless to 
here state the deep appreciation of every one present for 
the regard and courtesy shown to them by their com- 
manding officer. The hour hand was at the smallest 
figure on the dial when the evening was over and the offi- 
cers returned to camp. 

The hard work had slowly come to an end and the 
few remaining days gave to every one a chance to make 
any desirable purchases in the city and to pack everything 
in readiness for the coming of the great day. Arrange- 
ments had been made for the trip to Washington, the regi- 
mental horses were sent north over the shortest way, the 



204 HISTORY OF THE 

officers had sworn before Captain Becku;ts concerning 
their responsibihty for government property and there was 
nothing more to do. 

The last regimental formation was held in the open 
space by the road. The battalions formed three sides of 
a hollow square and the colonel spoke to them. He first 
told them all about the arrangements for leaving; the mus- 
tering-out was to begin at 9 o'clock the following morning, 
after which the men would be paid and be at liberty, all 
reporting at 2 o'clock at the Plant System depot ready to 
start; he gave to the officers such instruction by which they 
were to effect with order and dispatch the business of the 
morrow. He then spoke a few words of parting to the 
regiment asking that all grievances be laid aside and 
that the spirit of manliness which had characterized them 
in their military career go with them into civil life. He 
wished them all God speed and asked that if in the future 
by reason of their changed uniform he should fail to rec- 
ognize them they should pull his coat tail and tell him who 
the}' were and he would — the chaplain standing near 
deterred him he said from saying what he would do. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Backus called the officers to the front 
and told Colonel Durbin of a meeting of the regimental 
officers at which two committees were appointed, one of 
which was then ready to report. The other committee 
appointed for the purpose of selecting a suitable remem- 
brance for the regimental commander was reported at a 
later date after muster-out, but Major Olds, chairman of 
the committee on resolutions, stepped out and addressed 
the colonel in the following appropriate remarks: 

Colonel Durbin: The meeting which brings us here 
this afternoon is indeed a sad one. We come here know- 
ing it is to be the last formation of an organization which 
has grown dear to the hearts of each and every one of us. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 205 

Friendships formed in the army are stronger than 
those formed under any other circumstances. This is 
doubly true of the friendships formed in this regiment. 
Ten months ago when we assembled in the city of Indian- 
apolis for the purpose of organization scarcely any of us 
had acquaintances in the regiment outside of those mem- 
bers who came from the immediate vicinities of our home 
towns. We go forth bearing friendships stronger than any 
we have ever formed. There are many circumstances 
which have brought this about, but we, the officers of this 
regiment, believe it mainly due to the untiring devotion 
and the efficient and honorable methods pursued by our 
regimental rommander. True we have put forth our best 
efforts and have tried to do our duty, but all that would 
have gone for naught had we not had an efficient and ca- 
pable leader, — but we had such a leader — -a leader who by 
the strength of his personality, by the earnestness of his 
purpose and by the support which he was able to com- 
mand, could unify and strengthen our efforts. 

Moved by these sentiments, we, the officers of the 
regiment, offer you the following resolutions. 

The following resolutions were then read and handed 
to the colonel: 

Whereas, The One Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment 
of Indiana Volunteer Infantry has been brought to a high 
degree of efficiency through the energetic and telling efforts 
of Colonel Winfield T. Durbin. Therefore be it 

Resolved, 1st, That we, the officers of the regiment, 
express to Colonel Durbin our friendship, loyalty and grati- 
tude for his untiring devotion to the welfare of his com- 
mand. 

2d, That we are profoundly grateful to him for the 
sacrifices he has made in response to the dictates of patri- 



206 HISTORY OF THE 

otism and for his many acts of kindness and consideration 
shown us. 

3d, That in the muster out of the regiment, the 
Volunteer Army loses a faithful, energetic and able com- 
manding officer; the officers and men a true and noble 
friend. 

4th, That though he is called upon to lay aside the 
habiliments of a soldier for duties of a citizen, we wish him 
unbounded success in civil pursuits, and that our hearts 
will ever be with him. 

Lee M. Olds, 
Richard W. Buchanan, 
John R. Ward, 
Oliver M. Tichenor, 
James W. Fortune, 
Committee on Resolutions. 

It was evident that these words had gone to the right 
spot and moved the colonel with deep feeling, and after a 
moment's pause he responded with words of thanks and ap- 
preciation for what, he said, he felt was more than he de- 
served. The men went back to their tents and after sup- 
per every one sat up long into the hours of night reluctant 
to retire because they knew it was the last night they 
would sleep as soldiers. The tension of strict discipline 
was of course relaxed and the first half of the night was 
made noisy with the songs of happy soldiers, and only 
when the repertoire of familiar songs was exhausted, the 
past ten months retrospected, and the future prospected, 
did the men roll into their blankets for the purpose of 
trying to sleep till morning. 

Early in the day that followed, the big affair began. 
Talk about hustling — the day saw it in all its fury. * The 
place was turned into a scene much like a county fair. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 20/ 

Peddlers of every description were on hand. Trunk selling 
was the chief paying business, and before the camp was up 
great piles of trunks had been hauled into the grounds and 
arranged by sizes ready for the men to take their pick. 
Waterman had a special tent in a conspucious place, and 
his big sign for Cuban photographs helped his business out 
and the side show appearance of the affair as well. On three 
of the headquarters tents were huge colored signs telling 
the boys where to get their tickets while the ticket wagon 
was ready to wait on all who were going direct home. 

Aunt Chloe was there with her melodious voice cry- 
ing "nice cool lemonade, two glasses for five," while 
another with huskier tones cried, ' ' hyar's de place whar you 
git your lemon pies; dey is as fresh as you make 'em an 
dey haint no joke 'bout dat neither." Other edibles were 
carried about mixed up with sand that filled the baskets 
because of a spanking wind that whizzed around the tents and 
peppered everything with flying dust. At every tent door 
was a sable face inquiring if dey was any old thing de sol- 
dier wa'nt gwine to tote up north; and the old Confederate 
loon was there cackling for a nickle, and if he got it he 
God-blessed you and said you had a true soldier's heart for 
helping a poor old Confed., and if he didn't get it he said it 
the other way and said you had a stingy heart like every 

other d d Yankee in the army. The photograph man 

was there, the venders of relics and of parrots were there, 
and of canaries and dogs too, all warranted to have come 
from Cuba. Three paymasters were on the ground, one 
in each of the battalion commander's tents. 

Promptly at 9 o'clock the procession began. It was 
started by Company A. They lined up by the mustering- 
out office, the captain called the roll and each man cried 
"here" and stepped out at the sound of his name to fall in 
a new double rank forming at right angles to the first — this 



208 HISTORY OF THE 

was all — he was mustered out. Then in line for his pay; 
then at the proper place for his railroad ticket and off to 
the city to await the starting of the train to Washington. 
It was I o'clock before the staff and band were paid; the 
camp was rapidly being deserted, hacks were in demand 
and the once private was as swell as the swellest in his 
transit to the city. 

One by one with a parting glance the soldiers left the 
place — camp life was over, a strange feeling filled the men 
— no one could say "do this" or "do that" and every 
one did what he chose to do. 

For an hour a great crowd of soldiers surged about the 
Plant System depot. Those unable to get tickets at camp 
after much trying of the patience, got them here. The 
fact is, the regiment had too much executive ability that 
worked too well for the railroads. They did not under- 
stand how it could be done and were not prepared to take 
their part as per agreed calculations. 

At 2:10 P. M. the first section moved. It carried 
Companies A, I. L and M; also Colonel Durbin, Majors 
Smith and Olds and Lieutenants Brunt and Tichenor. 
The second section started at 2:40 p. m., loaded with 
Companies F, G, H and C; Major Megrew, Lieutenant 
Wilson and Chaplain Biederwolf accompanied this section. 
The third section left soon after, carrying Lieutenant- 
Colonel Backus, Lieutenant Gerrish and the remaining 
companies. 

Three trains full of happy soldiers — a few happy sol- 
diers full too, but in general an orderly set of fellows who 
did not steal silver spoons from railway restaurants and 
always paid for what they ate — three big crowds of happy 
Hoosiers on their way to Washington — alas so soon to be 
disappointed! It was very evident we had met our Water- 
loo simply because an honorable contract was made with a 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 209 

concern that had no conscience. The railroad concern 
had no intention of carrying out their contract; it was a 
shameful robbery by an unprincipled management. The 
baggage car arrangement for preparing coffee was a decep- 
tion; water and other needful things could not be pro- 
cured half of the time, but all the inconveniences could 
have been endured with little complaint had any effort 
been made to get the train to its destination with any rea- 
sonable limit of the appointed time. The trains dragged 
along the rails at a freight train rate and side tracked for 
everything that had a whistle to it, and instead of arriving 
at Washington at 9 a. m., the first section pulled in at 4:30 
p. M., the second two hours later, and the third corres- 
pondingly behind the second. Great preparations had 
been made for the reception; crowds had gathered around 
the White House long before noon and waited until long in 
the afternoon, and after waiting in vain they left the place 
where the reception was to occur — the regiment did not 
come. The Indianans at Washington were as disappointed 
as the regiment; they had taken much pains in the matter 
and were going to do the affair in a way worthy of Hoosiers, 
but the railroad had the soldiers' money and it was no con- 
cern of theirs ivJicii the soldiers got to the place they had 
paid to go. However, had the regiment arrived on time a 
disappointment would still have been in store for it. Every 
arrangement had been made as Colonel Durbin had 
announced, but unforeseen circumstances prevented Presi- 
dent McKinley from returning to the capital on the day 
appointed for the reveiw. 

The following telegrams will be of interest in this con- 
nection: 

14 



2IO HISTORY OF THE 

"Washington, D. C, April 29, 1899. 
" To Colonel Durbin. One Hundred and Sixty-first Indi- 
ana Volunteer Infantry, Savannah, Georgia. 
" Upon arrival of your regiment at Washington, Presi- 
dent will review it at portico of White House, and after- 
wards receive members in the east room of the executive 
mansion; please give early notification of time of depart- 
ure, route traveled and expected hour of arrival in Wash- 
ington. Acknowledge. 

" Heistand, Assistant Adjutant-General." 

On the train going to Washington the colonel received 
the following not far from Fredericksburg: 

"Washington, D. C., May i, 1899. 
"Colonel Durbin: Your telegram stating you will 
arrive at 4 o'clock received. The President is unavoidably 
detained in New York and will not be home until to-mor- 
row. Secretary of War also absent from city. These 
facts are communicated to you to enable you to determine 
upon your line of action. Acknowledge receipt. 

"Heistand, Assistant Adjutant-General." 

The pleasure and satisfaction of the review would 
thus have failed the regiment in any event of arrival, but 
the rest of an interesting program could have been car- 
ried out much to the satisfaction of all concerned. The 
first section was met by the marine band and escorted to 
the White House. Before entering the colonel told the 
men of his own bitter disappointment, which was perhaps 
greater than that of the men. 

The second section came in not long before the first 
was ready to depart, and later the third. The first section 
left about 7 o'clock. The men of the other sections spent 
some time about the city, and near midnight and morning 
started west, the trains breaking up at Cincinnati and 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 211 

Louisville. Company M left the first section at Cin- 
cinnati and Companies I, L and A came on to Indianapolis 
with the colonel. Expected here in the evening as per 
scheduled time, again extensive preparations were made 
for the reception of these three companies. In the 
State House a stand trimmed with the colors had been 
erected for music and speakers, a supper had been prepared 
and waiting for the train that did not come was next in 
order. Early in the morning we awoke and found that the 
train had actually arrived in Indianapolis. At 6 a. m. the 
boys marched to the State House where the good ladies 
who had lost all the night's sleep waiting, had come at this 
early hour to give the boys their breakfast. The boys 
were ravenously hungry and after being assured that any 
one of them who choked to death would be given a pen- 
sion, they went at the table in a way that always pleases a 
woman when she has worked hard to prepare a good meal. 
Breakfast, over Governor Mount, who, with his good wife, 
had come so early to the State House to meet the boys, 
stood to address them. He told the men how proud the 
state was of the regiment to which they had belonged, 
and gave them in the name of the commonwealth a cor- 
dial welcome home. Colonel Durbin responded, first 
thanking the ladies for their goodness and then emphasizing 
the fact that the regiment had tried to do its duty well; he 
then presented to the state through the Governor the regi- 
mental colors and the flag. Governor Mount briefly 
responded, telling the men the flags would be kept in the 
State House where, when in the city, they could come 
and look upon them. Senator Fairbanks then spoke briefly 
and after the men made the marble corriders ring and echo 
with rousing cheers, they went slowly back to their train. 
From this time on the experience of one company was 
the experience of them all, and something like the experi- 



2 12 HISTORY OF THE 

ence of Company Q, of the Two Hundredth Indiana, in 
which Si Klegg was a corporal. "The Company Q boys 
received an overpowering welcome at home. The people 
from the vi41age and the adjacent country turned out 
cii viassc to greet them as they alighted from the train. 
Farmer Klegg and his wife and Maria, proud and .eager, 
were there; and joyful tears flowed unchecked as they 
twined their arms around son and brother and pressed him 
to their beating hearts. Annabel was there, with moist 
eyes and a flush upon her soft cheek. 

Si had grown brave now, and as soon as the family 
embrace relaxed he advanced and put his arms around her 
as unflinchingly as if she had been a rebel battery. 

Tumultuous cheers rent the air, the band played and 
banners waved in honor of the soldiers' return from the war. 

A sumptuous dinner was served to them in the town 
hall, and the village orators exhausted their eloquence in 
giving them welcome and glorifying their deeds of valor. 

By the time the speakers got through, the veterans 
were pretty well convinced that if it had not been for 
Company Q the war would have been a failure — on the 
Union side. 

Then the boys were taken in charge by their respect- 
ive friends. In anticipation of Si's return, his mother and 
sister had for days done little except cook, and he found 
himself in a land flowing with milk and honey. 

That night Si had the *'best bed " in the house. As 
he threw himself upon it he sank down in a sea of feathers 
that almost covered him. Of course he could not sleep in 
such a bed, and in the morning when his mother went to call 
him to breakfast, she was amazed to find him lying on the 
floor. "Tell ye what 'tis mother," he said, "I didn't like 
ter go back on yer nice bed, but 'twa'n't no use. I swum 
'round 'n them fethers purty much all night, but I couldn't 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 21 3 

git to sleep t'll I bunked down on the floor. That's a 
leetle more hke the beds I slep on 'n the army. I b'liev 
t'night ril rig up a pup tent, put down some rails ter lie on, 
'n take ray old U. S. blanket 'n crawl in." 

This is all pretty much right, but the pup-tent and 
the rail racket — just put up a common A tent and put 
down some Florida pine and we guarantee the boys will 
sleep, though feather beds niiit so bad to swim around 
in either. We wish every man who fell a victim to the 
connubial epidemic all the success that Si had and in the 
walks of civil life health, happiness and prosperity. The 
habiliment of a soldier has been laid aside for the apparel 
of a citizen; the thought of citizenship should come to 
every member of the One Hundred and Sixty-first with a 
profounder meaning because of this experience in the 
service. So glorious has been the past of the American 
Republic, so significant is its present, so grand is its 
prospect that to be a citizen of such a nation is a proud 
distinction. 

No time in all its history has the nation needed more 
men of sterling worth than in this present time; with the 
glory of victory adding fresh luster to its flag of stars and 
stripes there has come an added burden and consequent 
responsibility of government that shall strain every fiber 
and tax every energy of this nation we proudly call our 
own. Questions are about to arise involving the most 
enormous interests, and if the true force of manhood and 
right citizenship is not brought to bear upon them they 
will be solved by those with baser motives than ought to 
prompt a man of genuine patriotism, and in it all the 
honor of the nation is at stake; and as we have done our 
duty well wherever duty called, as the excellent esprit dc 
corps that has moulded our experience as soldiers has 
brought to us the highest commendation that could rest 



2 14 HISTORY OF THE 

upon such a body of men, so let us follow the walks of 
civil life, giving to our nation and to our state our best 
thought, our best interest and unselfish endeavor, counting 
it always a high privilege to serve a flag the most beau- 
tiful, the most noble and the most powerful that ever kissed 
the sunshine of God, OLD GLORY, THE FLAG OF 
THE STARS AND STRIPES. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 21 5 

COLONEL WINFIELD T. DURBIN. 

W'infield T. Durbin, of Anderson, was the man upon 
whom was placed the honor and the responsibility of com- 
manding the last regiment of men that went out from In- 
diana, The glory of what a thing becomes belongs sever- 
ally to those whose influence helps to shape it and the 
enviable reputation acquired by the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first Indiana belongs in a degree to every man, be he an 
officer or private, who took a pride in his regiment and 
tried to do his duty well for his regiment and for his coun- 
try's sake, but the man who occupies the place of greatest 
responsibility, the man upon whose mind depend the ideals 
toward which an institution shapes itself and upon whose 
ability to execute depends the final approach to those ideals 
is the man to whom the greatest honor must fall when he 
proves himself worthy of his position. A regiment is gen- 
erally and to a great degree always what its commanding 
officer makes it and the fact that the regiment whose supe- 
rior offtcer was Winfield T. Durbin stood so high in the 
estimation of the highest army officials, that it was worthy 
of such recognition as that given by the honorable secre- 
tary of war, when he declared concerning the cleanliness 
and condition of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
camp that "it was a revelation, "a "marvel, "and in a pub- 
lic manner declared on the reviewing field and twice after- 
ward that the regiment was the finest he had ever seen, — 
this fact certainly does reflect the greatest honor on the 
man who controlled its movements and accordingly made 
its name a reminder of all that a body of thirteen hundred 
soldiers ought to become. 

Colonel Durbin did not seek the position; the posi- 
tion was seeking for the man, and it found him puzzled 
over some needed repairs amid the noise and rattle of 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 2 1/ 

machinery in the works of the Diamond Paper Company 
at Anderson. The call came quick and unexpected. His 
wife and son were on the Continent; without the possibility 
of consulting them or apprising them of his intention, he 
decided; he did not leave his plow standing in the field, 
but he did leave the old smashed up engine lying in the 
factory and started for the capital city of his state whence 
he had been called. The call was his marching orders. 
Colonel Durbin was born at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, May 
4, 1847, when he was but three years old his parents 
moved to New Philadelphia, and there he spent hisearly days, 
securing such educational advantages as were offered b}' the 
village schools of his boyhood home. He was fourteen 
years of age when the Civil war began; one by one he saw 
his five older brothers enlist to fight for the Union, and his 
young heart stirred him to offer himself. Accordingly in 
1862 he endeavored to enlist in the Sixteenth Indiana, but 
owing to temporary disability was not accepted, but went 
with the regiment and participated with it through part of 
the Vicksburg campaign, rendering good service in the bat- 
tles of Vicksburg, Arkansas Post and elsewhere. He then 
enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Indiana. 
This was in the following year, 1863, and at the close of 
war he remained for four years with his father who was at 
that time engaged in the tanning business. In 1869, a 
young man of twenty-two, he went to Indianapolis and 
entered upon a clerkship in one of the city's large jobbing 
dry goods establishments; he held position with the firm 
for ten years, and when at the expiration of this time he 
was prepared to leave, he had by his faithful industry and 
business ability become the head manager of the office 
force. 

On the 6th of October. 1875, he married Miss Bertha 
McCullough, of Anderson and went in 1879 to the city of 



21 8 HISTORY OF THE 

his bride to engage in mercantile and banking pursuits. 
That he was a successful business man his present connec- 
tion with the business interests of that place fully attest. 
He is president of the Anderson Foundry and Machine 
Works, vice president of the J. W. Sefton Manufacturing 
Company, and general manager and treasurer of the Dia- 
mond Paper Company. 

For six years he was a school trustee of Anderson 
during which time he materially aided in the erection of 
several of the finest school buildings in the state. 

No figure has been more prominent in political circles 
during the past fifteen years than Colonel Durbin; his fine 
executive ability and sound judgment has placed him in 
constant demand of his party. He was a presidental elec- 
tor in 1888, a delegate to the National Republican conven- 
tion at Minnaepolis in 1892, and was chairman of the com- 
mittee that notified Whitelaw Reid of his nomination to 
the Vice Presidency. He was also a delegate to the same 
convention in St. Louis in 1896. He is now a member of 
the national Republican committee for Indiana and a 
member of the executive committee. 

Colonel Durbin always had a high ideal for his regi- 
ment and was solicitous for its interests in every particu- 
lar; he so placed this ideal before the men until every pri- 
vate had taken unusual pride in the appearance and repu- 
tation of his organization. The health of the men was 
always a subject of deep concern on the colonel's part; he 
used every precautionary means to keep the camp in the 
best possible sanitary condition, attending in person with 
the surgeon on his tours of camp inspection, and in Jack- 
sonville when malarial indisposition rendered so many of 
the men unfit for duty, scarce sick enough to be sent to the 
hospital, yet needing special nourishment and more com- 
fortable sleeping quarters. Colonel Durbin at his own ex- 



ONE HUNERED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 219 

pense erected what might be called a recuperation hospital, 
a large and substantial frame building, into which the men 
were sent and where cots and milk diet, so far as the latter 
was procurable, were furnished them. 

Colonel Durbin did not know the men personally; and 
consequetly there was no partiality and no favors for special 
ones, but the humblest private was always welcome to his 
tent and men who may have hesitated to approach him 
always came away feeling they had been treated with all 
due kindness on the part of their regimental commander. 

He is versatile and a man of jovial disposition, but 
could be stern to severity when, in his judgment, it be- 
came necessary, and under such circumstances when he 
spoke every one knew that he meant what he said and he 
was obeyed. That the regiment has received its well- 
known recognition and its favors the men have always felt 
has been due to the influence of the man at its head. 

At the organization of the Society of the Seventh 
Army Corps March 25, 1899, Colonel Durbin was chosen a 
member of the executive council. 



220 



HISTORY OF THE 



OLIVER M. TICHENOR. 

Oliver M. Tichenor, first lieutenant and adjutant, was 
one of the regiment's busy men. No commission less than 
a captain's should ever be given an adjutant. This ener- 




Oliver M. Tichenor. 



getic young officer was born near Princeton, Indiana, April 
2 1, 1864. He received the excellent training that is found 
in farm life, and entering Princeton's high school, graduated 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 22 1 

in 1883. He was at once appointed deputy treasurer of 
Gibson county. From 1889 until 1894 he held the posi- 
tion of postmaster at Princeton, and then for four years 
traveled as freight and passenger agent of the Peoria, 
Decatur & Evansville railroad, which position he resigned 
to accept the appointment of chief deputy collector of 
internal revenue, and July 12, 1898, he placed in the hands 
of his employer his resignation that he might accept the 
commission urged upon him in which he was made adju- 
tant of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry. 

Lieutenant Tichenor was journal clerk of the Indiana 
legislature in 1886-7, and but for his youth would doubt- 
less have been elected to the clerkship of the supreme 
court of Indiana, for which position he was a candidate 
in 1894. 



222 



HISTORY OF THE 



JOHN RICH BRUNT. 

First Lieutenant and Quartermaster John Rich Brunt 
is a man fitted for the responsible position he held by a life 
of varied business experiences. He was born in Madison 




John Rich Brunt. 

county, Indiana, July 29, 1845, and is consequently the 
oldest man m the regiment. His grandfather was Nathan 
Lee, of Virginia, and was killed in the war of 181 2 at 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIRST INLIANA. 223 

Sackett's Harbor. When twenty years old Lieutenant 
Brunt went into what was then the far west, where for five 
years he remained, leadinj:,^ the life of a hunter and scout. 
It was his intention to return for a collej^iate course, but 
the fascination of frontier life changed that intention, and 
until 1870 he was a scout and guide. In this year he was 
united in marriage to Miss Lois C. Vanlandingham, daugh- 
ter of a cousin to Hon. Clement L. Vanlandingham. After 
his marriage he gave up the adventurous life he was lead- 
ing and became bookkeeper and manager for a railroad con- 
tractor at what afterwards became Chanute, Kansas, in 
which place Lieutenant Brunt built the first house ever 
erected. He then served four years as under sheriff at 
Osage Mission, Neosho county, Kansas, and followed this 
by a four years' term in office as sheriff. He then embarked 
in business at the same place, and a few years later bought 
the Neosho County Journal, which he successfully managed 
for eight years. During Cleveland's first administration 
Lieutenant Brunt was postmaster at Osage Mission. 

In December, 1889, after an absence of twenty-four 
years, he turned his face toward his native state, and made 
his home at Anderson, Indiana, which place, on the organ- 
ization of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana, he left 
to accept a commission as quartermaster of the regiment. 
While at Anderson he was secretary and treasurer of the 
Anderson Iron & Bolt Company, and its receiver for two 
and a half years after its failure, and upon its reorganiza- 
tion was made secretary and manager, resigning this posi- 
tion in February, 1898. In 1886 Lieutenant Brunt was 
the Democratic nominee for congress from the Eighth 

Indiana district, and made an excellent race against over- 
whelming odds. 

Upon the organization of the regiment he was ap- 



224 HISTORY OF THE 

pointed to the position of ordnance officer, which office 
he held in addition to his position as regimental quarter- 
master. On February 24, 1899, he was made acting 
regimental commissary officer during the illness of Lieuten- 
ant Freeman, and he accordingly was responsible for the 
work of three positions. He continued in this latter posi- 
tion one month. 

During the months of September and October, 1898, 
at Camp Cuba Libre, he was acting brigade quartermaster 
of the First Brigade, Third Division. Quartermaster Brunt 
understood his place; he got for his regiment what others 
in a like position did, and usually a little more, and if the staff 
and line were in large tents as well as the men; if, in fact, the 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana was the best tented 
regiment in the corps, it must be placed to his credit that 
it was so. He is a plain man, without boast, but what he 
does he does well. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIRST INDIANA. 



225 



WILLIAM E. BIEDERWOLF. 

Captain William Edward Biederwolf, chaplain of the 
regiment, offered his resignation to the Broadway Presby- 
terian church, in Logansport, Indiana, that he might go to 




William E. Biederwolf. 



care for the spiritual needs of the boys of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana. He was born in the year of 1867, 
on September 29, at Monticello, Indiana. Graduatine-- 



15 



226 HISTORY OF THE 

from ths high school of his native place, he taught school 
for one year, and then, in the fall of '86, entered Wabash 
College. Crawfordsville. After four years' work in this in- 
stitution, he entered Princeton University, at Princeton, 
New Jersey. Upon graduation here, he began his theolog- 
ical course in the seminary of the same place, receiving his 
degree in 1895. After a year's evangelistic work with Rev. 
B. Fay Mills, the evangelist, in April, 1896, he was married 
to Miss Ida Casad, of Monticello, Indiana. They went at 
once to Germany, where for eighteen months he enjoyed 
the privilege of study in New Testament Greek, as Fellow- 
ship scholar from Princeton Theological Seminary. After 
traveling to the Holy Land he returned and accepted the 
pastorate of the Broadway Presbyterian church, in Novem- 
ber, 1897. Captain Biederwolf, during his study at Prince- 
ton, devoted his vacations to rescue work in the slums of 
New York city. He is a lover of athletic sports, and was 
for four years a member of Princeton's athletic and gym- 
nastic teams, and in other ways connected with her ath- 
letic interests. Chaplain Biederwolf took delight in his 
work and the men called him their friend. 

Writing of a chaplain's work from an experimental 
and retrospective view point, one sees discouragements and 
hindrances unthought of at the initial stage of that experi- 
ence, and which in spite of any further recognition of the 
man and his work which is justly due from the highest 
military authority must still depend for their alleviation 
upon circumstances of character with which the war 
department has nothing to do. The efficiency of the chap- 
lain's work depends upon other things besides " what the 
chaplain makes it," which nothing but the grace of God 
can remedy. Some men have written that army life is a 
character moulder. 'Tis false — the drift, or better still the 
current, of army life is anti-moral and anti-religious; neither 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 22/ 

space nor appropriateness of place permit any defense of 
this statement, but experience proves it in spite of excep- 
tions. The chaplain of the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
is not elated over his work. He is, however, on the ivho/e 
proud of the morale of the regiment it was his privilege to 
serve; it was as good as any and better than many, due 
more to the make-up of the men than to anything he was 
permitted to do. But he knows the ministrations inthe hos- 
pital among the sick and the dying, the friendships with 
the men, the words of counsel and the utterances from the 
place of worship were not in vain, and that even results 
unseen below eternity will reveal in rich fruition. 

And yet much of the chaplain's work does depend upon 
what he makes it and with this in mind early efforts were 
made to purchase a suitable tent for assembly purpose. 
Nearly all the towns from which the boys came donated 
liberally, a large 50x80 tent was purchased, and through 
help from the Christian Commission, furnished with an 
organ, with reading, games and writing material. At times 
peculiarly appropriate for letter writing, from six hundred to 
seven hundred letters a day were written from the tables of 
this tent. The first ten days in Jacksonville, nightly evan- 
gelistic services were held by Fred Schivera. Services 
were held every Sunday by the chaplain, usually morning 
and evening. An occasional concert given and such other 
meetings held as were legitimate for such a place. Elbert 
M. Blake, of Company K, was detailed to care for the tent 
and was a most valuable aid to the chaplain. After the 
severe storm the center piece was left out and the tent 
became circular with a fifty-foot diameter. At Savannah, 
Fred C. King, Company G, had charge of the work; in 
Cuba, Chas. Sheller, Company G, for one month, and John 
Coates, Company A, for a few weeks, when Mr. Blake was 
again put in charge. 



228 HISTORY OF THE 

Some of the most precious moments and glorious 
hours were those spent by the cot side of sick in the wards 
of the hospital. 

There was much of this to do in Jacksonville and 
when the regiment left for Savannah, eighty-seven men 
were left behind in the tents of the Third Division Hos- 
pital. The chaplain was granted the privilege of staying 
with them, and the writing of letters for them, furnishing 
them with such delicacies as medical authority would 
allow, the moments of serious conversation and the bidding 
them good-bye as they were helped into the hospital trains 
bound for the north, were experiences for which one may 
well be grateful and feel that his ministry was worth its 
while. 

It was hard to sympathize with many of the men who 
took up their lodgings in the quarters shown in the following 
cut. It was all voluntary, the men didn't have to go there, 
that is, at a period considerably prior to their registration, 
but when once there resolutions were readily made that 
they would never go again nor recommend its accommoda- 
tions. These resolutions and promises, whose place if not 
the chaplain's to help the men to keep them, and as so 
many would have it that the building on opposite page and 
similar institutions belonged to the ecclesiastical depart- 
ment, its cut is appropriately and with pleasure inserted 
here. 



FIRST BATTALION 

K, IVI, J^, E. 



232 



HISTORY OF THE 



VICTOR M. BACKUS. 

Lieutenant-Colonel Victor M, Backus is a born sol- 
dier. His grandfather was an officer on Napoleon's staff, 
his father was a soldier and Colonel Backus himself a hard 




Victor M. Backus. 



Union fighter in the war of Rebellion. He therefore 
brought with him into the recent service a large experience 
of army life and this with his peculiar genius and character- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 233 

istic earnestness made him an invaluable officer of the 
regiment in which he served. 

He was born at Williamsburg, New York, the 27th 
■day of March, 1850. When six years of age his parents 
came to Franklin, Indiana, and six years later moved to 
Indianapolis. His school education was meagre, being 
interrupted by the war, where he felt, young as he was, 
that he was needed and therefore belonged. He was only 
eleven years old, he waited two years and then succeeded 
in gaining enlistment in the Seventeenth Indiana Regiment, 
then a part of the Army of the Cumberland. General 
Wilder commanded the brigade and General Gerrard, the 
division. He was a brave and daring soldier and although 
but a boy, bore well the part of the strongest man. He 
fought at Dalton, Resaca, Rome, Big Shanty, Noonday 
Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek and many 
other battles. In all he was actively engaged in nineteen 
battles and fifty-one skirmishes. It will be remembered 
that it was Wilder's brigade that made the famous charge 
against the breast works of Selma. Assault after assault 
had been made when Wilder hurled his men against the 
stubborn resistance and went over the works at a great 
cost of life, but thereby making possible the almost com- 
plete destruction of General Forrest's command. 

At Macon, Georgia, Colonel Backus was made one of 
a picked detail of sixty men to effect the capture of Jeffer- 
son Davis, who it was learned was attempting to escape to 
the west. This detail came up with another within an 
exceedingly close distance from where it had captured 
the fallen Confederacy's president, and together they 
brought him back to Macon and with him another prisoner 
of distinction then, and of still greater fame to-day — 
fighting Joe Wheeler, the hero of Santiago. 

At the close of the war the fifteen- vear-old soldier was 



2 34 HISTORY OF THE 

mustered out at Macon, August 12, 1865, and taken to 
Indianapolis for final discharge. He had reason to be 
proud of his record. He never missed a battle in which 
his regiment was engaged and from beginning to end was 
never once in attendance at sick call. 

There was no more fighting to be done and the youth 
entered the Shaw Company Carriage works as an appren- 
tice at seven dollars per week; but in ten years after taking 
this position, he had by his constant diligence and earnest 
application acquired a one-half interest in the concern, and 
a few years later he had purchased Colonel Shaw's inter- 
est and the firm was known as V. M. Backus & Company. 

In 1890 the colonel was nominated by the democratic 
party for county and city treasurer of the county of Marion, 
and the city of Indianapolis. He was elected by a hand- 
some majority. At the expiration of his term of office he 
turned his attention wholly to the business of contracting, 
undertaking and satisfactorily completing some of the 
largest and most important systems of sewerage- and other 
works in the country. 

When the war with Spain came on Victor M. Backus 
raised a regiment and offered it to Governor Mount two 
days before the president issued his first call for troops. 
The members of the state militia being already sufficient 
in numbers to furnish the state's required quota, the 
colonel's regiment could not be given place. Upon the 
second call for troops the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana was created and the position of lieutenant- 
colonel tendered him, which he accepted and which posi- 
tion he has filled with the greatest acceptability. 

His experience in contracting has made him an invalu- 
able part of the regiment. He cheerfully assumed that 
which properly was the duty of others; he was always 
busy and always had some scheme to keep others busy. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 233 

To him must be given much of the praise for the building 
and adornment of the camp. The seven-pointed cement 
star, the bamboo band stand, the monument and the 
Backus garbage burner, warranted to cremate anything 
from water to a stone, will always be connected with his 
name. 

He was commander of the First Battalion, but was 
often in command of the regiment while Colonel Durbin 
commanded the brigade. He made a capable officer, and 
a good disciplinarian; he was not hard to approach and 
his easy-going manner made for him friends throughout the 
whole regiment. 



COMPANY K. 



WILFRED T. STOTT. 

Captain Wilfred T. Stott, son of Dr. W. T. Stott, 
president of Franklin College, was born March 6, 1869, at 
Columbus, Indiana. He was graduated from Franklin Col- 
lege at the age of twenty-one and soon after became en- 
gaged in the newspaper business as a reporter. In this 
profession he continued until the outbreak of hostilities 
against Spain. His first work was done on the Indianapo- 
lis News. Later he entered the University of Chicago and 
took a three years literary course at that institution, sup- 
porting himself in the meantime by reportorial work on the 
Chicago Tribune. Afterward he was employed on that 
paper for a number of years. In 1897 he returned to his 
native city and purchased the Republican, a daily and 
weekly paper, which he published for a year. 

During the stay of the regiment at Savannah, Georgia. 
Captain Stott was detailed as recruiting officer for the regi- 



236 



HISTORY OF THE 




Captain Wilfred T. Stott. 

ment and was absent in Indiana on that duty for one month. 
He has served in the Indiana National Guards for five years 
and is a son of a veteran, his father being a captain in the 
Civil war. 



CHARLES C. SMITH. 

First Lieutenant Charles C. Smith was born Decem- 
ber 22, 1 87 1, at South Bethany, Indiana. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools of Columbus, Indiana, and soon 
after completing his education became engaged in the pen- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 23/ 




First Lieutenant Charles C. Smith. 

sion business. He continued in this business until 1893, 
when he formed a partnership with Samuel W. Daugherty 
under the firm name of'Daugherty & Smith, and purchased 
the business of his former employer, to which real estate 
and insurance business was* added. 

Lieutenant Smith has served three years in the Indiana 
National Guards and is the son of a soldier. 



TEMPLE H. OWENS. 

Second Lieutenant Temple Hubert Owens was born 
in Noblesville, Indiana, July 14, 1876. He was educated 



238 



HISTORY OF THE 



in Columbus, graduating from the high schools of that 
city in 1895. Since that time until entering the service he 
was engaged in newspaper work, being employed on the 
local papers of his home city, besides acting as corres- 
pondent for many of the metropolitan dailies. 

For three months during his service with the One 




Second Lieutenant Temple Hubert Owens. 



Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana he was detailed on duty 
with the Tenth United States Infantry at Havana and 
Mantanzas, serving a^ lieutenant in Company F, and also 
as adjutant of the Second Battalion. 

Lieutenant Owens also acted as adjutant of the First 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 239 

Battalion, One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana, at Camp 
Cuba Libre. His father was a veteran, having served dur- 
ing the entire Civil war. 



COMPANY HISTORY. 

Company K was organized at Columbus, Indiana, 
April 28, 1898. At the meeting at which the organization 
was perfected two hundred men were enrolled. 

W. T. Stott was elected captain and C. C. Smith, first 
lieutenant, and T. H. Owens, second lieutenant. A strenu- 
ous effort was made by the officers and men and citizens of 
Columbus to have the company ordered out on the first call 
for troops. Feeling confident, however, that it would 
later be called into service, the organization was main- 
tained, though a number of the members enlisted in the 
regular army and in the volunteer regiments already ac- 
cepted. 

The second call for troops found the company in 
readiness, the armory having been converted into tempo- 
rary barracks and daily drills having been conducted for 
several weeks. 

In accordance with orders from Governor Mount, the 
organization reported at Camp Mount July 4, 1898, after 
having undergone a preliminary physical examination at 
the home station. Company K, which designation was 
later given, arrived at Camp Mount with a greater number 
of men than any other company, there being one hundred 
and thirty-two in the ranks. It was also strongest in point 
of numbers when mustered in, July 13. 1898, entering the 
service with one hundred and five enlisted men. 

The company was assigned to the First Battalion, and 
at the time of muster-out was the ranking company of that 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 24 1 

battalion. It has been fortunate in having a complement 
of good non-commissioned officers. The list of sergeants 
remained unchanged during the service of the company. 
This organization bore distinction for its many tall men and 
for its excellence at drill. 



COMPANY K ROSTER. 

Wilfred T. Stott, Captain, Columbus, Ind., Reporter. 

Charles C. Smith. 1st Lieutenant, Columbus, Ind., Insur- 
ance Agent. 

Temple H. Owens, 2nd Lieutenant, Columbus, Ind., Re- 
porter. 

SERGEANTS. 

Thompson, William A., 1st Serg't, Columbus, Ind., Civil 
Engineer, promoted to 1st Serg't Nov. 3, 1898. 

Bray, Charles, Q. M. Serg't, Columbus, Ind., Mechanic, 
promoted to Serg't Nov. 8, 1898. 

AIcGovney, Charles S., Columbus, Ind., Student. 

Voris, G. Ashley, Columbus, Ind., Clerk. 

Carr, Frank, Columbus, Ind., ]\Iiller. 

Wynegar, Eugene, Columbus, Ind., Stenographer. 

CORPORALS. 

Haislup, Harry H., Columbus, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 

Oliphant, Wilfred H., Noblesville, Ind., Painter. 

Ghrist, Orlando P., Columbus, Ind., Tailor. 

Allison, Franklin E., Hope, Ind., Teacher. 

Day, Elmer C, Columbus, Ind., ^Mechanic. 

Cobb, Edwin A., Columbus, Ind., Student, discharged Feb. 

4, 1899. 
Pruitt, Elmer T., Edinburg, Ind., Laborer, discharged March 

18, 1899. 
McCoy, Harry, Columbus, Ind., Clerk, transferred to 3rd 

Div. Hosp. Corps Aug. 20, 1898. 

16 




o 



<; 
w 

a 

CO 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 243 

Luse, Joseph L., Edinburg, Ind., Stenographer, appointed 

Corp. Aug. 29, 1898. 
Von Wilier, Adolph R., Columbus, Ind., Laborer, appointed 

Corp. Aug. 29, 1898. 
Tobrocke, Frank A., Waymansville, Ind., Clerk, appointed 

Corp. Aug. 29, 1898. 
Roth, Louis A., Edinburg, Ind., Laborer, appointed Corp. 

Sept. 26, 1898. 
Pursfield, Forest, Columbus, Ind., Hostler, appointed Corp. 

Nov. 4, 1898. 
Phillips, Joseph F., Edinburg, Ind., appointed Corp. March 

24, 1899. 
Beatty, William J., appointed Corp. March 24, 1899. 

MUSICIANS. 

Israel, Horace B., Edinburg, Ind., Laborer, appointed Mu- 
sician Aug. 30, 1898. 

Clark, Alexander, Columbus, Ind,, Student, appointed Mu- 
sician Aug. 80, 1898. 

ARTIFICER. 

King, Edwin, Columbus, Ind., Carpenter. 

WAGONER. 

Bruce, Herbert R., Nortonsburg, Ind., Farmer. 

PRIVATES. 

Abell, Samuel, Seymour, Ind., Student. 

Abernathy, Robert, Seymour, Ind,, Laborer. 

Adkins, James, Columbus, Ind., IMolder, 

Ayers, William A., Seymour, Ind,, Engineer. 

Barmes, Frank H., Hope, Ind., Farmer. 

Beabout, David, Columbus, Ind., Laborer, 

Betterly, Benjamin, .Seymour, Ind,, Clerk, discharged Sept. 

27, 1898. 
Blake, Elbert M., Columbus, Ind., Student. 
Branarnan, Henry, Becks, Ind., Farmer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 245 

Bruce, IMell, Lexington, Ind., Farmer, 

Brumfield, Gurtis, Columbus, Ind., Mechanic. 

Burns, Samuel, Columbus, Ind., Printer. 

Coats, William T., Shelby ville, Ind., Student, transferred to 

Co. C Jan. 26, 1890. 
Carr, Harry C, Hartsville, Ind., Student. 
Carter, Allen, Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Collins, Samuel, South Bethany, Ind., Farmer. 
Cook, Joseph L., Columbus, Ind., Mechanic. 
Coy, Lora E., Pikes Peak, Ind., Farmer. 
Craig, Clifford, Seymour, Ind., Laborer. 
Cron, Henr}', Indianapolis, Ind., Handlemaker. 
Dill, James R., Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Dillman, Harry, Bedford, Ind., Mechanic. 
Dinkens, Thomas, Liberty, Ind., Laborer, discharged Jan. 30, 

1899. 
Dobson, James M., Columbus, Ind., Farmer. 
Downs, Charles M., Edinburg, Ind., Laborer, discharged 

Feb. 3, 1899. 
Ehlers, George C, Columbus, Ind., Brakeman. 
Fawcett, Oliver, Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Fuller, William, Columbus, Ind., Clerk. 
George, John S., Scipio, Ind., Farmer. 
Grove, Clarence B., Columbus, Ind., Student. 
Haislup, Charles A., Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Hardesty, Sylvanus G., Nebraska, Ind., Stone Cutter. 
Henderson, Edward F., Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Henderson, Walter E., Seymour, Ind., Mechanic, 
Hodler, Charles H., Ogilville, Ind., Cook, discharged Feb. 7, 

1899. 
Hodler, Samuel S., Columbus, Ind., JSIechanic. 
Huffer, Welden, Newbern, Ind., Student, discharged Jan. 13, 

1899. 
Jones, Percy, Hope, Ind., Farmer, transferred to Reg. Band 

Aug, 20, 1898. 
Keethler, James, Ogilville, Ind,, Laborer, transferred to 3rd 

Div. Hosp, Corps Aug. 20, 1898, 



246 . HISTORY OF THE 

Kerth, Franklin, Cincinnati, Ohio, Mechanic. 

Kellenberger, Bertram S., Columbus, Ind., Clerk. 

Ketner, Robert E., Hartsville, Ind., Laborer. 

Kroencke, Henry F., Columbus, Ind., Carpenter. 

LaForce, David E., Bedford, Ind., Clerk. 

Lambert, Arthur S., Conway, Ky., Farmer. 

Lathrop, Lyman G., Hope, Ind., Student. 

Lockman, Cecil, Bedford, Ind., Laborer. 

Lunsford, Robert A., Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 

Manuel, Andrew, Christiansburg, Ind., Farmer. 

McCallie, Ralph, Newbern, Ind., Laborer. 

McKee, Melvin, Columbus, Ind., Carpenter. 

Marlin, Temple, Hope, Ind., Farmer. 

Marlin, Nathaniel W., Hope, Ind., Farmer. 

jSIyers, Jacob, Edinburg, Ind., Laborer. 

Oaks, Robert F., Edinburg, Ind., Mechanic. 

Payne, Charles B., Columbus, Ind., Teamster, discharged 

Jan. 30, 1899. 
Pickens, John M., Columbus, Ind., Mechanic. 
Potter, Charles, Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Pruitt, Leslie, Edinburg, Ind., Farmer. 
Quick, George W., Columbus, Ind., Carpenter. 
Richey, Alonzo, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 
Repp, John F., Columbus, Ind., Aloulder. 
Rich, John W. D., Columbus, Ind., Teamster, discharged 

Feb. 10, 1899. 
Romine, John D., Ogilville, Ind., Farmer. 
Rowell, Fred C, Columbus, Ind., Cabinetmaker, transferred 

to Hosp. Corps Aug. 20, 1898. 
Seeger, John F. , Columbus, Ind., Farmer. 
Skinner, Elihu M., Brownstown, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Feb. 4, 1899. 
Stiner, Harry E., Taylorsville, Ind., Laborer. 
Stuckey, Erastus, South Bethany, Ind., Farmer. 
SchierfF, OHf, Chicago, 111., Clerk, discharged Feb. 15, 1899. 
Thomas, Charles E., Taylorsville, Ind., Farmer. 
Thomas, Martin R., Taylorsville, Ind., Engineer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 247 

Thompson, William H., Columbus, Ind., Barber. 

Turner, Joseph, Alodora, Ind., Laborer. 

Twaddell, Forrest, Columbus, Ind., Clerk, discharged Feb. 1, 

1899. 
VanArsdal, Evert, Taylorsville, Ind., Farmer. 
Western, William C, Columbus, Ind., Engineer. 
Yerger, John, Bedford, Ind., Barber. 
Young, Hallard G., Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 
Everson, Charles, Columbus, Ind., Moulder, died Dec. 2, 

1898. 
Carr, Victor M., Hartsville, ind., Cook, transferred from Co. 

A Jan. 17, 1899. 
GifFord, George H., Indianapolis, Ind., Clerk, transferred from 

159th Ind., deserted March 17, 1899, at Camp Colum- 
bia, Cuba. 
Koehne, George H., Evansville, Ind., Machinist, transferred 

from 159th Ind. 
Miller, Isaac J., Clifford, Ind., Laborer, transferred from 

159th Ind. 
Swartwood, Sherman B., Columbus, Ind., Farmer, transferred 

from 159th Ind. 
Schaufler, Charles, Evansville, Ind., Potter, transferred from 

159th Ind. 
Ruby, Edward T., Indianapolis, Ind., Cook, mustered as Cook 

Dec. 8, 1898. 
Cole, Bert A., Bloomington, Ind., Civil Engineer, transferred 

from 159th Ind. Vol. Inf. 



COMPANY M. 



GEORGE A. WEST. 

Captain George A. West is the oldest man among 
the officers of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
Regiment. He was born at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Feb- 



248 



HISTORY OF THE 



ruary 14, 1844, and received such education as could then 
be obtained in the pubHc schools of his native town. In 
1 861 he went to New Orleans and remained there until the 
outbreak of the Civil war, when he hastened north, coming 





Captain George A. West. 

on the last steamer that came up the Mississippi river, and 
enlisted at once. 

He served during the entire war, re-enlisting in the 
Second Indiana Battery at the expiration of his first enlist- 
ment. 

During a greater part of his service Captain West was 
engaged as a scout west of the Mississippi river and while 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 



!49 



serving in this capacity was wounded five times. He was 
also wounded at tiie battle of Prairie Grove. Special 
authority from the war department was granted in order 
that Captain West could be commissioned in the Spanish- 
American war. In re-entering the service he forfeited a 
pension of fourteen dollars per month. 

Captain West has a son, John B. West, who is no less 
a fighter than himself. John B. West was a bugler in the 
army at Santiago but asked for a gun and went on the fir- 
ing line and was severely wounded, being shot through both 
legs. 





■ ■■ '■•'.7''-H>iU^l 


V^^^ 


■ ' 


■? IIMIIM— I^^B^^^^B 


B 


***■ 1*^ ^^^^B 


■ 




B 


'^^H'^'^" ^^H 


^Ik^ 


'^l^l 


^HE^^ 


''*'"'' H^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l 


^B^ 



First Lieutenant George W. Fitch. 



250 HISTORY OF THE 

GEORGE W. FITCH. 

First Lieutenant George W. Fitch was born at Law- 
renceburg, Indiana, March 24, 1868. He was educated in 
the high school of Lawrenceburg and later was employed 
in his father's bank. Afterwards he held a responsible posi- 
tion with the Adams Express Company, and still later he 
was identified with the Potter, Parlin Company, of New 
York, as assistant secretary and treasurer for a number of 
years. At the opening of the Spanish-American war he 
was city engineer of Lawrenceburg. 



HANSON G. FREEMAN. 

Second Lieutenant Hanson G. Freeman was born 
October 30, 1859, at Prattsburg, Indiana. He graduated 
from the Lawrenceburg high school, and later took a two 
years' course at Moore's Hill College. Soon after com- 
pleting his education he engaged in the coal business at 
Lawrenceburg, in which he continued until the outbreak 
of the war. 

On September 5, 1898, Lieutenant Freeman was de- 
tailed as regimental commissary -of subsistence and re- 
mained in that capacity until the muster-out of the or- 
ganization. The father of Lieutenant Freeman served 
during the entire Civil war. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY M. 

Company M was organized early in April, 1898, by 
George A. West, George W. Fitch and Hanson G. Free- 
man as a battery, as it was expected it would be first to 



n 

c 







252 HISTORY OF THE 

see service in our partly unprotected coast cities. The 
company was tendered to the Governor April 8, 1898, but 
when in a few days the situation developed that a battery 
would have no chance to get into the service, the company 
was quickly changed to a company of infantry. 

Lieutenant Freeman's coal office, at the corner of 
High and Vine streets, was the company headquarters. 
There the plans were often revised to outwit the opposi- 
tion of many others who were anxious to split the organi- 
zation that they might have the honor of leading the only 
company that Dearborn county would get to furnish during 
the war. In union there was strength, and Company M 
stood loyally together and all opposition either fell by the 
wayside or extended a helping hand. 

The company tried to get in under the first call, want- 
ing to represent this part of the state in lieu of the Aurora 
company, whose place was vacant in the state guard, but 
failed, as larger counties were given the preference. The 
company kept up their organization, replacing with new 
men those who dropped out to join other companies that 
had been more successful in being recognized, some going 
into the regular army. A member of the company was 
found at Indianapolis at every change of events or rumor, 
that no doubt might exist of the company getting in, and 
on June 15, 1898, the Governor rendered a final decision 
that the company would be accepted. An hour later a 
telegram was posted in Lawrenceburg and the news spread 
like wildfire. June 24th. the Governor notified Captain 
West, sending the examination blanks. June 27th, 28th 
and 29th w^ere consumed making physical examinations by 
Dr. James D. Gatch, after which the Governor was noti- 
fied that the company awaited his orders. The company 
received instructions to leave Saturday, July 2d. 

July I, 1898; after the company had made their fare- 



o 
z 

I 
n 

c 
2 



o 

w 

o 

O 



n 

o 




2 54 HISTORY OF THE 

well parade over the city, they were presented' with a 
handsome Hag by the ladies of Lawrenceburg, Mrs. Ezra 
G. Hayes making the presentation in a strong and touching 
speech, which was responded to by Lieutenant Fitch, after 
which the members of the company went to their homes, 
some tor the last time. The departure of the company, 
on the morning of July 2d, was an event that will live in 
the memory of every citizen as the most touching scene 
the city had witnessed since the dark days of 1861. 

The company arrived at the Indianapolis fair grounds 
at noon and was quartered in cattle barn F. After re-ex- 
amination, the company was mustered into the United 
States service July 13, 1898, and lettered Company M, 
after which the history of the company was about that of 
the regiment. September 5th, Lieutenant Freeman was 
detailed as regimental commissary officer, which place he 
filled until the regiment was mustered out. 

October 17, 1898, at Jacksonville, Florida, death 
parted Private Henry H. Stille from his company after a 
brief sickness with typhoid fever. The remains were sent 
to his home at Sunman, Indiana, for interment. February 
17, 1899, in Cuba, the dreaded small-pox, after a two 
weeks' struggle, claimed as its victim Private Andrew 
Gould, and he was interred the same day with military 
honors in the United States cemetery, between Marianao 
and Playo, in grave No. 26. 

All other events of the company can be looked back 
upon, no matter how unpleasant at the time, as having 
some pleasure connected with them save the deaths which 
parted two good soldiers from the company. 

The company was detailed as provost guard at the 
Second Division, Seventh Army Corps. Hospital, near 
Marianao, from February 18, 1899, to March 27, 1899. 

Company M was mustered out at Savannah, Geor- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 255 

gia, April 30, 1899, and returned home via Washington, 
D. C, stopping there two hours and marching through the 
White House. The company arrived home at midnight, 
May 2, and were received with open arms, welcoming 
them home in a happier way than they had bid them God- 
speed and success, just ten months before. The reception 
prepared on the arrival of the company was postponed till 
the evening of May 3d. The company paraded the prin- 
cipal streets, escorted by all the uniformed ranks of the 
city, when they marched to Odd Fellows' Hall. Mayor 
O'Brien made the address of welcome to the company and 
Captain West responded in a few well-chosen words, after 
which the company retired to the banquet hall and partook 
of a feast such as only the ladies of Lawrenceburg know 
how to prepare. At a late hour the company separated 
and went to their homes to take up the lives of civilians. 



COMPANY M ROSTER. 

George A. West, Captain, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 
George W. Fitch, 1st Lieutenant, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 
Hanson G. Freeman, 2nd Lieutenant, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 

SERGEANTS. 

Rief, Jacob J.. 1st Serg't, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Bookkeeper. 

Evans, Edwin J., Q. M. Serg't, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Fire- 
man, appointed from Corp. to Q_. M. Serg't Jan. 5, 
1899. 

Seekatz, John, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Shoemaker. 

Sparks, Charles D., Moore's Hill, Ind., Machinist. 

Marshall, Edward, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cooper, appointed 
from Corp. to Serg't Jan. 5, 1899. 

Spencer, Cyrus M., Moore's Hill, Ind.. Dentist, discharged. 



256 HISTORY OF THE 



CORPORALS. 



Scofield, John J., Milan, Ind., Telegraph Operator, discharged' 

Feb. 30, 1899. 
Wilson, William, Moore's Hill, Teamster. 
Cissna, Adrian H., Chillicothe, O., Butcher. 
Fleck, George J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer, 
Young, Clarence, Hornersville, N. Y., Butcher, promoted' 

to Corp. Aug. 16, 1898. 
Laswell, Jesse L., Versailles, Ind., Cook, promoted to Corp. 

Dec. 20, 1898. 
Webster, William S., Sunmam, Ind., Liveryman, promoted 

to Corp. Dec. 20, 1898. 
Bell, Charles H., Milan, Ind., Carpenter, promoted to Corp. 

Dec. 20, 1898. 
Landers, Edward, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cooper, promoted 

to Corp. Dec. 20, 1898. 
Schnetzer, George, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer, promoted 

to Corp. Jan. 5, 1899. 
Truitt, Edward A., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Moulder, promoted 

to Corp. Jan. 5., 1899. 
Wingerberg, Henry J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer, pro- 
moted to Corp. Feb. 20, 1899. 
Winkley, Martin, Guilford, Ind., Railroader, promoted to- 

Corp. Feb. 20, 1899. 

MUSICIANS. 

Strauss, John M., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Piano Tuner, dis- 
charged Feb. 8, 1899. 
Kelsey, Charles L., Moore's Hill, Ind., Telegraph Operator.. 

ARTIFICER. 

Fleck, John J., St. Bernard, Ohio, Blacksmith. 

WAGONER. 

jMcAdams, William, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Hod Carrier. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 257 

PRIVATES. 

Abdon, James W., Cochran, Ind., Laborer. 

Andrews, Henry, Elizabethtown, Ohio, Farmer. 

Aprill, Frank, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 

Aylor, George J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Paper Hanger. 

Barrow, Charles, Rockdale, Ind., Farmer. 

Berry, Clyde C, Milan, Ind., Laborer. 

Billingsley, Nicholas, Aurora, Ind., Laborer. 

Brumblay, Thomas B., Moore's Hill, Ind., Engineer. 

Christian, Henr^^ Lawrenceburg, Ind., Stone Mason. 

Clark, Ira W., Milan, Ind., Brakeman. 

Clark, John C, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Farmer. 

Clark, James, Hartford, Ind., Farmer. 

Connelley, Bertram, Sunman, Ind., Stenographer. 

Cox, Edward S., Aurora, Ind., Laborer. 

Cooper, William, Aurora, Ind., Laborer, discharged Jan. 26, 

1899. 
Daily, Andrew^ Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Davis, Milton C, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Donner. George, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Downs, Samuel, Lawrenceburg, Stationary Engineer. 
Emchiser, Leroy, Santa Fe, Ind., Lumberman. 
Enke, Charles F., Cincinnati, Ohio, Blacksmith. 
Fahy, Luke, Aurora, Ind., Laborer. 
Frazier, James ]M., Bright, Ind., Butcher. 
Frost, John, Cohoes, N. Y., Fireman. 
Flush, Henry C, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cooper. 
Gerkin, Albert C, North Vernon, Ind., Moulder. 
Gould, Andrew, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Sawmaker, died, \Hji- 

vana, Feb. 17, 1899. 
Gould, George K., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Printer. 
Givan, Paul, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Blacksmith. 
Gray, Harley, Aurora, Ind., Laborer. 
Hauser, Peter, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Tailor. 
Hayes, George M., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Farmer. 
Hayes, Charles, Lawrejiceburg, Ind., Farmer 

17 



258 HISTORY OF THE 

Hitchcock. Edward M., Hope, Ind., Laborer. 

Huntington, Homer, Moore's Hill, Farmer. 

Jeffries, Thomas B., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Moulder. 

Johnson, Albert L., Dillsboro, Ind., Farmer. 

Johnson, Clifford, Moore's Hill, Ind., Farmer. 

Johnson, Hal, Dillsboro, Ind., Bricklayer. 

Jones, Walter D., Moore's Hill, Ind., Photographer. 

Kepper. George C, Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 

Ketcham, George P., Chesterville, Ind., Laborer, discharged 

Feb. 4, 1899. 
Knagge, John W., Dillsboro, Ind., Farmer. 
Knippenberg, August PL, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Farmer. 
Kunkel, John M., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cigarmaker. 
Lawrence, William R., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cooper. 
Losey, John F., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Laird, George W., Greensburg, Ind., Stockdealer. 
Marshall. Benjamin, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Mason, Henry, Guilford, Ind., Farmer. 
McCartney, Charles W., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Miller. 
Meyer, Ralph A., Dillsboro, Ind., Farmer, 
Montooth, Charles E., Vevay, Ind., Laborer. 
McElfresh, George R., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Clerk. 
]McCartney, Frank, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Clerk. 

Pate, Henry C, .St. Louis, Mo., Farmer. 

Purnell, Minter, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 

Ratekin, Emery J., Richland, Ind., Farmer. 

Reed, Amos B., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Stove Moulder. 

Roemer, Fred C, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Machinist. 

Rolf, Frederick, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Blacksmith. 

Rief, Charles IL, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Carriagemaker. 

Schwab, Edward, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Stone Mason. 

Speckman, Frank E., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 

Stewart, Walter S., Elizabethto wn, Ohio, Farmer. 

Stille, Henry H., Sunman, Ind., Telegraph Operator, died, 
Jacksonville, Oct. 17, 1898. 

Suit, Calvin, Elizabethtown, Ohio, Farmer, 

Strieker, George W., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Painter. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 2 59 

Spencer, Henry A., Moore's Hill, Ind., Dentist. 
Taylor, Charles J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Blacksmith, 
Taylor, William A., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Express Agent. 
Taylor, William, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Thompson, Edward, Aurora, Ind., Laborer. 
Temke, William, Spader, Ind., Laborer. 
Tudor, Gidion H., Caleast, Ky., Farmer, 
Ward, Marcus, Lawrenceburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Wesler, William J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Cooper. 
Zimmermann, John G., Cincinnati, Ohio, Baker. 
Siemantel, John J., Lawrenceburg, Ind., Blacksmith. 
Moody, Curtis, Indianapolis, Ind., Railroader. 
Slageter, Karl, transferred from 159th Ind. Vol. Inf. Dec. 1, 
1898. 



COMPANY A. 



GEORGE M. SILVERTHORNE. 

Captain George M. Silverthorne was born at Chicago, 
in 1877, and after finishing a grammar-school course he 
entered the Michigan Military Academy, from which insti- 
tution he graduated in 1896. Later he went to North- 
western University and had just completed a two years' 
law course when war was declared against Spain. 

He was commissioned as first lieutenant of Company 
A, and later was made captain to succeed to Captain 
Olds. During the first part of his service, Captain Silver- 
thorne acted as adjutant of the First Battalion. 



26o 



HISTORY OF THE 




Captain George M. Silv^rthorne. 



AUGUST H. W. JOHNSON. 

First Lieutenant August H. W. Johnson was born at 
Hinsdale, Illinois, January 9, 1869. He was educated in 
the public schools of La Grange, Illinois. 

Lieutenant Johnson is a contractor and builder, and 
from 1892 until 1895 he had charge of the construction 
work of the Grassila Chemical Company, of Cleveland and 
Chicago. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



261 



He was promoted from second to first lieutenant to 
succeed First Lieutenant Silverthorne. On October 25, 
1898, soon after the arrival of the regiment at Savannah, 




First Lieutenant August H. W. Johnson. 

Georgia, Lieutenant Johnson was taken sick with typhoid 
fever, and was confined in the city hospital at that place 
for three months. 



FLETCHER M. DURBIN. 

Second Lieutenant Fletcher M. Durbin, son of Colonel 
Durbin, is the youngest officer in the One Hundred and 



262 HISTORY OF THE 

Sixty-first Indiana Regiment. He was born at Anderson, 
Indiana, April 25, 1880. He attended the schools of Ander- 
son, later took a two years' course at the Culver Military 
Academy, and spent two years in the school at Lawrence- 
ville, New Jersey. Last spring he completed his examina- 




Second Lieutenant Fletcher M. Durbin. 

tions one month early in order that he might travel. He 
spent four months travelling in Europe. Mr. Durbin was 
commissioned as second lieutenant of Company A, 
November 30, 1898. He was appointed adjutant of the 
First Battalion, January 6, 1899. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIKST INDIANA. 263 

COMPANY A HISTORY. 

The Hammond company, like many other companies 
of this regiment, was formed at the first call for volunteers, 
and confidently expected to go out then. In this, how- 
ever, they were disappointed, an event which was very de 
pressing upon the spirits of the loyal men, who were so 
anxious to fight for their country, but subsequent events 
have shown that this was the greatest blessing, however, 
that they could have received, for otherwise they would 
never have belonged to the '' old One Hundred and Sixty- 
first. '" 

It was at this stage of the history of the company that 
it met with one of its discouragements. Disappointed at 
not being included with those who were first to go into the 
service of the United States, many resigned and some 
others, dissatisfied, didn't even go through this formality but 
simply dropped out. 

Interest in the company was at a very low ebb, drills 
and meetings were suspended on account of the lack of at- 
tendance. 

A reorganization of the company was decided upon, 
however, by those who were still anxious to get into the 
service and a date set for an election of officers. Recruit- 
ing offices were opened in Hammond, Whiting, Crown 
Point and East Chicago, and upon the night of the election 
the recruits numbered one hundred and twenty-five. Lee 
Merritt Olds a graduate of the Michigan Military Academy, 
and also Northwestern University, was elected captain. 
George M. Silverthorn, a graduate of the same institution, 
was elected first lieutenant and August H. W. Johnson, 
of East Chicago, was elected second lieutenant. The elec- 
tion was none to soon, for their orders to hold themselves 
in readiness and proceed to Indianapolis to join the One 







-■€♦■■■•■ 



■ -^t^ 4^- ■U 



o 
u 



'♦■•^r 





t 


s 


^#-- 


#'■ 


. Ml 
1 


4it»>- 


■* 


>r. 


■ _ 


m- 




-it'-; 


, . ? 


1 I 


-m>i^---\ 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 265 

Hundred and Sixty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer In- 
fantry, forming there, were received from the Governor the 
next day. 

The members of the company were duly notified of 
this fact and were all present with what scanty baggage 
they were to take with them at the appointed time; the 
Morton House in Hammond, which had been vacated, was 
reopened and occupied by them during the interval before 
leaving for Indianapolis. Transportation arrived on July 
5th over the Monon and also an order to proceed at once 
to Indianapolis. The company were wildly enthusiastic 
when the orders were read to them, and at once got their 
belongings together preparatory to leaving; among the 
latter was the mascot, " Dewey," a large white sheep pre- 
sented to the company by Chief James Fallon, of the Ham- 
mond Packing Company. An early dinner was had and at 
12 o'clock they marched to the station led by the G. A. R. 
•drum and fife corps, and greeted with cheers on all sides 
by the citizens of Hammond who turned out en mass to 
see the departure of the company which was to represent 
them in the Spanish-American war. Wives and sweet- 
hearts, "mostly sweethearts," were at the station to see 
the company off, and the scene there presented is one that 
will always be fresh in the mind of everyone present. Two 
special cars were attached to the regular train, and at 12:30 
p. M., July 5th, we left for Indianapolis. We were joined 
by the company from Monticello on our way, and arrived 
at Camp Mount, Indianapolis, at about 5 o'clock in 
the afternoon. Immediately upon our arrival we were 
assigned to one of the vacant sheds in the fair grounds, 
which, during fair time, was occupied by the sheep exhibit. 
Stoves, dishes and blankets were issued to us, and those 
who enlisted as carpenters were called upon to show their 
skill in converting a sheep shed into a comfortable habita- 




< 



o 



M 
u 

E 
O 

Q. 

a 

o 



o 

U 
I 

O 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 26/ 

tion. Thus at last our purpose was accomplished and we 
became a part of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Regi- 
ment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 



COMPANY A ROSTER. 

Lee M. Olds, Captain — Promoted to Major Dec. 1, 1898. 
George M. Silverthorne, Captain — Promoted from 1st 

Lieut. Dec. 9. 1898. 
August H. W. Johnson, 1st Lieutenant — Promoted from 2nd 

Lieut. 
Fletcher Durbin, 2nd Lieutenant — Appointed Dec. 9, 1898. 

SERGEANTS. 

Meehan, James E., Franklin Pa., Steam Fitter. 

Murray, Joseph E. D., Rochester N. Y. Reporter. 

Carr, Stephen, Ashley, Ind., Railroad Employe. 

Ripley, Stephen, Hammond, Ind., Clerk. 

Schloen, Frank, Hammond, Ind,, Clerk, appointed Serg't 

Dec, 8, 1898. 
Main, William E., Chicago, 111., Student, appointed Serg't 

Jan. 4, 1899. 

CORPORALS. 

Mason, Charles J,, Hammond, Ind., Clerk. 

Coates, John S., Chicago, 111., Machinist. 

Scheer, Robert, Milwaukee, Wis., Carpenter. 

Green, George W., Hammond, Ind,, Laborer, 

Crandall, L, D., Chicago, 111,, Steam Fitter, 

Ibsen, Frank, Chicago, 111., Artist. 

Hansen, Mike, Whiting, Ind., Machinist, appointed Corp. 

Aug. 27, 1898. 
Eggers, Peter, Saginaw, Mich. Cooper, appointed Corp. Nov. 

12, 1898. 
Holzapfel, William, Chicago, Ills., Painter, appointed Corp. 

Jan. 4, 1899. 



268 HISTORY OF THE 

Crandall, Elbert, Chicago, Ills., Clerk, appointed Corp. Jan. 
4, 1899. 

ARTIFICER. 

Cole, James, Waterloo, Ind., Blacksmith. 

WAGONER. 

Frenck, Fred, Hammond, Ind., Liveryman. 

MUSICIAN. 

Brown, Theodore, Chicago, 111., Metal Polisher. 

PRIVATES. 

Adams, Elmer, East Chicago, Ind., Grocer. 

Anderson, Fred, Chicago, 111., Bricklayer. 

Boyd, Dayton, La Grange, Ind., Hostler. 

Brock, Joseph, Whiting, Ind., Fireman. 

Baum, Edward, Cincinnati, Ohio, Laborer. 

Ballog, Steve, East Chicago, Ind., Laborer. 

Berry, Fred A., Vincennes, Ind., Clerk. 

Bouchie, Louis, Vincennes, Ind., Laborer. 

Cabice, Thomas, Bridgeport, N. Y., Driver. 

Danielson, Daniel, East Chicago, Ind., Laborer. 

Doran, Mathis, South Chicago, 111., Laborer. 

Driscoll, Charles J., Vincennes, Ind., Barber. 

Eyerman, Max, San Francisco, Cal., Cook. 

Fortune, Walter, Evansville, Ind., Farmer. 

Faol, Edward, Hammond, Ind., Harnessmaker. 

Finlayson, Daniel W., Hammond, Ind., Steamfitter. 

Fleirman, Fred, Pullman, 111., care of Soldiers' Home, Painter. 

Fields, Alfred C, Kerney, N. J., Clerk. 

Freel, John H., Whiting, Ind., Clerk. 

Galloway, Joseph, East Chicago, Ind., Clerk. 

Center, Ernest, Chicago, 111., Laborer. 

Grohnert, Max, Ada, Mich., Painter. 

Hanson, Louis, Chicago, 111., Clerk and Nurse. 

Hahlweg, Charles, Hammond, Ind., Law Student. 

Hahlweg, Emil, Hammond, Ind., Gold Essayist. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 26g> 

Holtzkampf, August, Chicago, 111., Pressman. 
Hays, Frank J.. Chicago, 111., Teamster. 
Hornack, George, Hammond, Ind., Machinist. 
Howe, Charles, Hope, Ind., Farmer. 
Handy, Algo, Terre Haute, Ind., Expert Bookkeeper. 
Haas, Henry, Terre Haute, Ind., Conk. 
Johnson, John, Brighton Park, Ind., Cook. 
Jones, Patrick, Cleveland, Ohio, Iron Moulder. 
Jones, Elmer, Garrett, Ind., Farmer. 
Kroucell, John, Hammond, Ind., Gunsmith. 
Koai, Frank, East Chicago, Ind., Laborer. 
Keitzer, Peter, Hammond, Ind., Barber. 
Kuchenberg, Fred, Jeance, Wis., Clerk. 
Keller, Fred, Chicago, 111., Electrician. 
Kitchen, Joseph A., Harvey, 111., Linguist. 
Koutz, Charles, Beanville, Ind., Clerk. 
Larson, Charles, Kane, Pa., Iron Worker. 
Levy, Abraham, Danerorf, Germany, Rabbi. 
Miller, Chris., Chicago, 111., Farmer. 
Miller, John, Oxford Furnace, N. J., Steel Worker. 
Miller, Parley, Bloomington, Ind., Student. 
Malic, Albert, Chicago, 111., Ladies Tailor. 
Mathis, John, East Chicago, Ind., Druggist. 
McConnell, Fred, Clinton, Iowa, Law Student. 
McGrath, Patrick, Hammond, Ind., Chef. 
Nelson, William E., Chicago, 111., Machinist. 
Nichols, Robert, Oswego, N. Y., Engineer. 
Nattress, Fred, Island Lake, N. D., Comm. Expert. 
Neff, William E., Lowell, Ind., Inventor. 
O'Connor, William, Put-in-Bay, Ohio, Malster. 
Pondak, Joseph, East Chicago, Ind., Coal Dealer. 
Peterson, John, Chicago, 111., Medical Student. 
Peto, Julis, East Chicago, Ind., Laborer. 
Polgat, Steve, East Chicago, Ind., Iron Roller. 
Poldar, John, East Chicago, Ind., Iron Puddler. 
Parks, Albert, Stanley, Ind., Law Student. 
Pope, Chode, Hammond, Ind., R. R. Foreman. 



270 HISTORY OF THE 

Ryan. Thomas, Hammond, Ind., Iron Worker. 
Rogers, Jessie, St. Louis, Mo., Tailor. 
Sabo, John, East Chicago, Ind., Miner. 
Smith, Taylor, Lima, Pa., Butcher. 
St. John, Louis, Victoria, B. C, Photographer, 
Strabel, Henry, Crown Point, Ind,, Cigarmaker, 
Strom, Gus.. Chicago, 111., Silversmith. 
Strecker, Henry, Chicago, 111,, Grocer, 
Trahan, Ben., Valparaiso, Ind,, Farmer. 
Vacba, Joseph, Whiting, Ind., Grocer. 
Vermetle, Carl A., Hammond, Ind., Artist, 
Werner, John, Chicago, 111., Designer. 
Williams, John, Whiting, Ind., Fireman. 
Woodward, Frank, Whiting, Ind,, Physician. 

TRANSFERRED, 

Hay, George C, Whiting, Ind., Telegraph Operator, to Band 

Aug. 23, 1898. 
Lunom, IMartin, Effingham, 111., Dealer in Spring Water, to 

Band Sept. 21, 1898. 
Carr. Victor, Hartsville, Ind., Clerk, to Co. K Jan. 17, 1899. 
Lucas, Horace, Alexander, Ind., Nurse and Student, to U. S. 

Hospital Sept. 10, 1898. 
Kimball, Harry, Chicago, 111., Nurse, to U, S. Hospital Aug. 

20, 1898. 
Byerley, Samuel, Bloomingdale, Ind., Railroader, to U. S. 

Hospital Sept. 10, 1898. 
Larson, Andrew C, Chicago, 111., Polisher, to U. S. Hospital 

Sept. 10, 1898. 
Crandall, Eugene, Chicago, 111., Student, to U, S. Hospital 

Aug. 20, 1898. 

DISCHARGED. 

Proulx, Louis, Hammond, Ind., Clerk, disability at Jackson- 
ville, Fla., Sept. 29, 1898. 

Wheeler, Burr O., Hammond, Ind,, Printer, by order War 
Department, Feb. 13, 1899. 

Rhodes, Peter, Athens, 111., Clerk, by order Sec. of War, 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 2/1 

Mar. 18, 1899. 

Craick, William, Hammond, Tnd., Clerk, by order Sec. of 
War, March 13, 1899. 

Bowser, Corp. Emerson L., Valparaiso, Ind,, l?arber, by order 
War Department, March 18, 1899. 

Butler, Edwin V., Van Wert, Ohio, Brakeman R. R, dis- 
ability at Havana, Cuba, Dec. 22, 1898. 

DeFrees, Fred B., Indianapolis, Ind., Civil Engineer, by 
order War Department, Dec. 1, 1898. 

Larson, Carl A., Chicago. 111., Painter, by order War Depart- 
ment, Jan. 10, 1899. 

O'Connor, Thomas, Buffalo, N. Y., Butcher, by order War 
Department, Dec. 22, 1898. 

W^oods, William, New York, N. Y., Painter, disability at 
Ft. McPherson, Ga., Jan. 4, 1899. 

DEATHS. 

Puhlman, Ernest, Pittsburg, Pa., Clerk, broke neck diving off 
pier into Trout Creek, at Jacksonville, Sept. 4, 1899; 
buried at Pittsburg, Pa. 

Schroeder, Fred, Hammond, Ind., Laborer, at Reg. Hospital, 
Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 14, 1898; buried at Ham- 
mond, Ind. 



COMPANY E. 



JAMES W. FORTUNE. 

Captain James W. Fortune was promoted from the 
rank of first lieutenant to that he now holds, to fill the 
vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Captain L. C. 
Baird. He was born at Lexington, Indiana, February i, 
1864. He attended Indiana University and graduated 
from the literary department in 1889, and from the depart- 



272 HISTORY OF THE 

ment of law in 1894. Since that time he has been 
engaged in the practice of law at Jeffersonville, Indiana. 
For two months previous to his promotion Captain For- 




Captain James W. Fortune. 

tune was adjutant of the First Battalion. During a greater 
part of his service he has acted as regimental summary 
court officer and has officiated as judge advocate of several 
different court martials. 



WILLIAM W. CROOKER. 
First Lieutenant William W. Crooker is an old Indi- 
ana National Guard officer, having been in the service of 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



273 



the state for a number of 3'ears. He was second lieutenant 
of the command called out to quell the rioting during the 
coal miners' strike in Sullivan county. 

Lieutenant Crooker was born, raised and educated at 




First Lieutenant William W. Crooker. 

Jeffersonville, Indiana. His business is that of an elec- 
trician. His great-grandfather served during the Revolu- 
tionary war, and his father was a captain during the' Civil 
war. During the first two months' service of the One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Regiment Lieutenant 
Crooker acted as regimental commissary of subsistence. 
He entered the armv as a second lieutenant. 



2 74 



HISTORY OF THE 



EDWARD A. McCAULEY. 

Second Lieutenant Edward A. McCauley was born at 
Jeffersonville, Indiana, August 2, 1873. He received his 
education in the public schools of this place. In 1893 he 




Second Lieutenant Edward A. McCauley. 

became a member of the Indiana National Guard, and was 
promoted to the rank of sergeant. At the breaking out of 
the Spanish-American war he was associated with his father, 
John S. McCauley, in the furniture and picture-framing 
business. On the president's second call for volunteers he 
assisted Captain L. C. Baird in raising a company, enlisted 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 2/5 

as first sergeant and was mustered in at Indianapolis with 
the company. On the resij^^nation of -Captain Baird Ser- 
geant McCauley was promoted to second Heutenant and 
commissioned January 6, 1899, at Camp Columbia, Havana, 
Cuba. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY E. 

Jeffersonville, in common with all other Indiana towns 
of any importance, strove eagerly for the distinction of furn- 
ishing the state with a volunteer company on the first call for 
troops. Although unsuccessful in this she was destined to 
be one of the few Indiana cities whose organization saw 
service on foreign soil. 

Enrollment for Company E began to be taken early 
in May at the office of attorney (now captain) James W. 
Fortune in the Spieth block. Jeffersonville. Considerable 
confusion was caused for a time by the presence of a rival 
organization, which also aspired to the honor of being 
selected by Governor Mount to represent the city in the 
makeup of the new regiment about to be furnished by 
Indiana. The confusion was largely due to the eagerness 
of a number of the recruits to get into the service. In 
order to make assurance doubly sure these young patriots 
had themselves enrolled with both companies. Another 
factor which contributed to the parlous state of affairs was 
the uncertainty as to whether or not the governor would 
allot a company to Jeffersonville. Many of the recruits — in 
fact the cream of those enrolled — sought relief from this 
state of uncertainty by enlisting in the regular service. 

"All things come to him who waits," and the 
patience of Company E's promoters was finally rewarded 
by the welcome intelligence that the organization was one 
of the lucky twelve selected by the governor. This fact 




W: 



2 

< 

o 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 2/7 

being definitely assured, a mass meeting was held at the 
city hall on the evening of June 24. for the purpose of 
selecting the company officers and to enroll such additional 
recruits as might be necessary. The meeting was presided 
over by Colonel James Keigwin, of Louisville, Kentucky. 

The officers were chosen with especial regard to their 
fitness, and at no time during their term of service did the 
members of the company, as a whole, have occasion to 
regret their choice. Lewis C. Baird was elected captain, 
James W. Fortune, first lieutenant, and W. W. Crooker, 
second lieutenant. Captain Baird and Lieutenant Crooker 
were both members of the State Guard previous to the 
disbanding of famous Company G, First Indiana National 
Guard. Captain Baird also brought to his duties the high 
military efficiency obtained during a course at the United 
Naval Academy at Ananapolis. Lieutenant Fortune had 
no previous training in military matters, but his record as 
first lieutenant and later as captain of the company proved 
him a born soldier and justified the confidence shown by 
the company in his selection. 

Physical examinations of recruits were conducted daily 
at Jeffersonville and also at Scottsburg, Charlestown and 
Sellersburg, the last named three adjoining towns furnish- 
ing a number of recruits. These preliminary examinations 
were conducted by Dr. L. L. Williams, of Jeffersonville, 
and it is noteworthy that Company E had a smaller per- 
centage of rejections, during the final tests at Indianapolis, 
than any company in the regiment. 

On July I, Company E went into camp at Indianapo- 
lis with one hundred and nine men. Although the exami- 
nations reduced this number slightly below the required 
maximum quota the gaps were speedily filled up. After 
the usual period of squad-drills, suspense and commisera- 




w 



o 

u 



H 

z 

< 

o 

s 

CD 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 279 

tion for the unfortunate candidates the company was mus- 
tered into the service on July 12. 

From this time on the history of the company is, with 
a few variations, the history of the reg^iment. When the 
fall of Santiago and the signing of the protocol occurred it 
had the dumps with its fellows. When the regiment was 
ordered to Jacksonville. Company E yelled with the loudest, 
for Cuba was drawing nearer. It had its share (perhaps 
more than its share) of the insidious Jacksonville malaria. 
When the regiment pitched camp at Savannah, Company 
E, for the first and only time in its history, was separated 
from the mother organization. 

On November 9, the company was detached and sent 
to take charge of the Savannah Military Rifle Range, dur- 
ing its use for the largest practice of the Seventh Army 
Corps. The skill and good work of the company in manip- 
ulating the targets and conducting the corps target 
practice won unsparing commendation from the corps offi- 
cers. The company remained at the range for a period of 
seventeen days and, while there, ate a Thanksgiving dinner, 
the menu of which would astonish the bean-fed veterans of 
the Civil war. 

When Cuba was reached all settled contentedly down 
into the daily routine and began to look for mustering out 
orders. January 6 marked another epoch in the com- 
pany's history. On this date notice was given of the ac- 
ceptance of Captain Baird's resignation, previously tendered 
on account of business affairs at home which demanded his 
personal attention. He was succeeded in command by 
First Lieutenant Fortune. Second Lieutenant Crooker 
was thus advanced to second in command and First Ser- 
geant Edward A. McCauley received the shoulder straps he 
so well deserved. The illness of Lieutenant Crooker was 
the only incident which marred the otherwise enjoyable 




w 



< 

a, 

o 
U 



OS 

o 
U 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 20 1 

stay in Cuba. The boys were sorry to leave him behind, 
even for the short time which elapsed between the regi- 
ment's departure and his return on the hospital ship. Ar- 
rived safely at home once more, the members of Company 
E can speak with justified pride of the showing they have 
made. 

Not wholly unscathed did they come forth. By the 
death of Private Robert Angleton, Company E was de- 
prived of one of her best and bravest. He died October 
II, of typhoid fever, at his home in Jeffersonville while 
absent on sick furlough. 

Company E was mustered out of the service with 
ninety-five men on the muster rolls. Eight were dis- 
charged, six were transferred and one died. As an offset 
to this five new men were either recruited or transferred to 
the company during its term of service. 

Like many others, Company E had a company fiag. 
On the night previous to the departure of the company for 
Camp Mount it was presented with a fine silk iiag by the 
citizens of Jeffersonville. The presentation was made by 
Mayor Whitesides, who made a speech befitting the occa- 
sion. The flag remained with the company until Jackson- 
ville was reached, from which place it was returned to its 
home, where it yet remains — a treasured reminder to the 
citizens of Clark county of the day when their boys strode 
away to do their country's bidding. 



COMPANY E ROSTER. 

L. C. Baird, Captain — Jeffersonville, Ind., Draftsman, re- 
signed Jan. 5, 1899. 

James W. Fortune, Captain — Jeffersonville, Ind., Attorney, 
promoted from First Lieutenant Jan, 5, 1899. 



282 HISTORY OF THE 

W. W. Crooker, First Lieutenant — Jeffersonville, Ind., 
Electrician, promoted from Second Lieutenant Jan. 5, 

. 1899. 
E. A. McCauley, vSecond Lieutenant — Jeffersonville, Ind. , 
Merchant, promoted from First Sergeant Jan. 5, 1899. 

SERGEANTS. 

Van Liew John K., 1st Sergt., Jeffersonville, Ind., Clerk. 
Timmonds, John W., Q; M. Sergeant, Jeffersonville, Ind., 

Engineer. 
Meiboom, J. Henry, Jeffersonville, Ind., Packer. 
Ferguson, Ross J., Jeffersonville, Ind., Clerk. 
Strieker, Henry F., Charlestown, Ind., Farmer. 
Samuels, Conway C, Jeffersonville, Ind., Clerk. 

CORPORALS. 

Biddle, Cal., Indianapolis, Ind., Farmer. 
Biedenbach, John, Jeffersonville, Ind., Carpenter. 
Bonnell, John H., Jeffersonville, Ind., Farmer. 
Flora, Francis G., New Albany, Ind., Fuddler. 
Hyatt, Walter E., Sellersburg, Ind., Draftsman. 
Keifer, Thomas F., New Albany, Ind., Painter. 
Laidley, Willis J., Jeffersonville, Ind., Machinist. 
LeClare, James N., Jeffersonville. Ind., Clerk. 
Lee, John, Indianapolis, Ind.. Brass Finisher. 
Peckinpaugh, Thomas L., Jeffersonville, Ind., Farmer. 
Pickering, John C, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 
Raines, Walter P., Utica, Ind., Brass Worker. 

MUSICIANS. 

White, Edwin, Northfield, Vt., Salesman, discharged Feb. 

12, 1899. 

Dumenil, Ellsworth, Indianapolis, Ind., Musician, trans- 
ferred to Regt. Band Aug. 26, 1898. 

Jones, Percy, Columbus, Ind., Farmer, transferred from Regt. 
Band. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 283 

ARTIFICER. 

McClure, Julian C, Scottsburgh, Farmer. 

WAGONER, 

Kelly, Marion, Jeffersonville, Ind., Fireman. 

PRIVATES. 

Angleton, Robert, Jeffersonville, Ind,, Blacksmith, died Oct. 

11, 1898. 
Applegate, Charles L., Woodsbury, Ind., Farmer, 
Barnard, Charles O., Farmer. 

Belknapp, William E., Jeffersonville, Ind., Laborer. 
Bottorff, Harvey J., Sellersburgh, Ind., Farmer. 
Bridgewater, Daniel, Scottsburgh, Ind,, Painter. 
Buckley, Benjamin C, Jeffersonville, Ind., Painter, 
Carr, Charles F., Jeffersonville, Ind,, Laborer. 
Carr, Warren, Charlestown, Ind., Farmer. 
Clemmons, Jesse, Jeffersonville, Ind., Stave Cutter. 
Clemmons, Walter H., Jeffersonville, Ind., Farmer. 
Davis, Charles S., Scottsburgh, Laborer. 
Delanty, John, Jeffersonville, Ind., Moulder. 
Dobson, Andrew, Jeffersonville, Ind., Laborer. 
Dorsey, Walter A., Jeffersonville, Ind., Engineer, discharged 

Jan. 28, 1899. 
Doane, Charles R., Washington, Ind., Laborer, transferred 

from 159th Ind. Vol. 
Dunham, Jesse, Indianapolis, Ind., Farmer, transferred to 

Hospital Corps Aug. 20, 1898, 
Edwards, Stephen, Sellersburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Ellerman, William H., Louisville, Ky., Railroader. 
Ervin, Howard L., Scottsburgh, Ind., Railroader. 
Gilbert, William B., Jeffersonville, Ind., Clerk. 
Griffiths, James C, Jeffersonville, Ind., Teamster. 
Griffith, John A., Charleston, Ind., Horse Trainer, transferred 

to Hospital Corps, Sept. 15, 1898, 
Harrell, A. Thomas, Scottsburg, Cooper. 
Harris, James, Indianapolis, Ind., Painter. 



.284 HISTORY OF THE 

Herberick, Jacob, Jeffersonville, Ind., Plumber. 

Herman, John, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 

Harbin, Robert L., Charlestown, Ind., Farmer. 

Hartley. Clarence, Jeffersonville, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Feb. 18, 18P8. 
Howard, Frank L., Charlestown, Ind., Tinner. 
Houghland, Rosco, Scottsburgh, Ind., Painter. 
Jackson, Schuyler C, New Albany, Ind., Glass Worker. 
Jacobs, James N., Jeffersonville, Ind., Painter. 
Javens, Jackson E., Jeffersonville, Ind., Laborer. 

Jones, David, Jeft'ersonville, Ind., Iron Worker. 
kelly, John E., Louisville, Ky., Bar Keeper. 
Kelly, Albert E., Putnam, Putnam Co., Ind., Attorney, trans- 
ferred from 159th Ind. Vol. 
Kennedy, Hugh, Jeffersonville, Ind., Laborer. 

Klosterman, Otto, Louisville, Ky., Farmer. 

Knowland, William A., Charlestown, Ind., Cooper. 

Koons, Walter I., Charlestown, Ind., Laborer. 

Koons, Charles, Charlestown, Ind., Laborer. 

Lewis, Horace I., Jeffersonville, Ind., Fireman, discharged 
Feb. 16, 1899. 

Mayberry, Charles, Charlestown, Ind., Farmer. 

Meadows, John R., Carrolton, Ky., Cook. 

Meyer, John F., Jeft'ersonville, Ind., Farmer. 

Meyer, John H., Jeffersonville, Ind., Farmer. 

Miller, John I., Indianapolis, Ind., Painter. 

Mitchell, Herbert. Jeffersonville, Ind., Laborer. 

Mitchell, Berkie, Scottsburgh, Ind., Teamster. 

McCafferty, William, Washington, Ind., Printer, transferred 
from 159th Ind. Vol. 

Nelson, Fred., Detroit, Mich., Sailor. 

O'Brien, Frank, New Albany, Ind., Glass Worker. 

Ogden, Homer O., Jeffersonville, Ind., Railroader. 

Oliver, James, Utica, Ind., Farmer. 

Pearson, Theodore B., Jeffersonville, Ind., Student. 

Perry, Archie C, Scottsburgh, Ind., Farmer. 

Perry, Homer, Jeffersonville, Ind., Student. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 285, 

Phillips, Orville G., Scottsburgh, Ind., Farmer, discharged 
Feb. 9, 1899. 

Powers, Eugene, Jeffersonville, Ind., Clerk. 

Powers, Claude B., JefiFersonville, Ind., ^Musician. 

Rhodes, Fred P., Atlanta, Ind., Farmer, discharged Feb. 13,. 
1899. 

Ryan, John E., New Albany, Ind., Laborer. 

Rector, John A., Indianapolis, Ind., Varnisher. 

Rogers, Charles T., Charlestown, Ind., Reporter. 

Sauer,'^Elmer C, Jeftersonville, Ind., Machinist. 

Stepp, Jesse, Sellersburgh, Ind., Laborer. 

Smith, George, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 

Simms, Willis B., Utica, Ind., Farmer. 

Taylor, George S., Jeffersonville, Ind., Railroader. 

Tatum, William, Utica, Ind., Laborer. 

Thomas, Wilmer H., Indianapolis, Ind., Moulder. 

Tobin, James, Anderson, Ind., Laborer. 

Tobin, Matthew, Anderson, Ind., Railroader, discharged Jan. 
7, 1899. 

Tomlin, Lafe W., Jeffersonville, Ind., Steamboatman. 

Twomey, George W., Jeffersonville, Ind., Medical Student. 

Thompson, James W., Indianapolis, Ind., Farmer. 

Thompson, William M., Scottsburgh, Ind., Barber. 

Tharp, Elmer, Jeffersonville, Ind., Carpenter, transferred to 
Signal Corps Dec. 10, 1898. 

Vance, Arthur R., New Albany, Ind., Salesman. 

Weaver, Howard, JefTersonville, Ind., Blacksmith. 

Webb, Frank F., Indianapolis, Ind., Paper Hanger. 

Wright, Charles M., Jeffersonville, Ind., Railroader. 

Wurlel, William, Jeffersonville, Ind., Plumber. 

Worrell, Luther M., Jeffersonville, Ind., Electrician, trans- 
ferred to Signal Corps Dec. 10, 1899. 

Whittsett, Lemmel E., Duputy, Ind., Farmer, transferred to- 
Signal Corp Dec. 10, 1899. 

Youmans, Edward H., Jeftersonville, Ind., Laborer. 



SECOND BATTALION 

B, I, FT, D. 






f 




B 


' ''^M 


Im 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 289 

HAROLD C. MEGREW. 

Major Harold C. Megrew prepared himself for the po- 
sition he held in the regiment by his early choice of educa- 
tional training and by his acquired experience in military 
affairs before he entered the service with the rank of major 
and appointment to the command of the Second Battalion. 
He was born in Indianapolis March i6, 1859, and after 
preparatory training was educated at the Howard Military 
Institute, in Maryland. He was a member of Company 
D, in the Washington (District of Columbia) Light Infan- 
try, National Guard. He was a member of the National 
Guard in Ohio, serving by special appointment on the staff 
of Governors Foraker and Bushnell. He has been in the 
service of the government, filling positions of responsibility 
at home and in Europe. He was captain in the Ben Har- 
rison Camp of the Sons of Veterans, and at the time of the 
president's call for troops was inspector-general of Indiana, 
and chief of staff of Governor Mount, with the rank of 
colonel. It was no small sacrifice of family and business 
interests that Major Megrew made on entering the volun- 
teer service; but, with the hope of being actively engaged 
at the front, he accepted his commission and became ma- 
jor of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana. He is a 
member of the Indiana commandery of the Loyal Legion, 
and one of its board of officers. 

While at Camp Cuba Libre, Major Megrew was presi- 
dent of the general court martial of the Third Division, and 
was summary court officer from the regiment's organiza- 
tion until, by direction of the major-surgeon, he left for a 
thirty-days' leave of absence, January 16, 1899. He 
returned to the States, and, after a twenty days' extension, 
came back Monday, March 13. He was in every way an 
army official. He delighted in his work, was straightfor- 

19 



290 



HISTORY OF THE 



ward and impartial among his men. He returned to his 
professional duties at Indianapolis when mustered out. 



COMPANY B. 



WINSTON MENZIES. 

Captain Winston Menzies is among the youngest of 
the captains of the regiment. He was born at Mt. Vernon, 
Indiana, November 22, 1875. His grandfather was a 




Captain Winston Menzies. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 29 1 

major-general in the Civil war and his father, G. V. Men- 
zies, is a retired naval officer who held the rank of lieuten- 
ant-commander while in the service. After the usual pre- 
paratory training, which Captain Menzies received at Corn- 
wall-on-the-Hudson, he entered the State University of 
Indiana in 1892, in which institution his collegiate educa- 
tion was finished in 1896. Retook an active interest in 
athletics and was a member of various athletic teams of 
his college. He engaged for a short time in the cotton 
business in Texas and returned to his native state in time 
to enlist for the war with Spain. When it became evi- 
dent that the company organized in Mt. Vernon would 
not be accepted in the first call, Mr. Menzies enlisted as 
a private in Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-ninth 
Indiana, but upon the second call being issued obtained 
his discharge and came home to go out with the com- 
pany of his choice as captain. During the sickness and 
absence of Major Megrew, Captain Menzies was in com- 
mand of the Second Battalion. 



ASA ELLWOOD WILLIAMS. 

First Lieutenant Asa Ellwood Williams received his 
education at Purdue University and the State Univer- 
sity of Indiana, in the former of which institution he was 
second lieutenant of Company A of the cadets. At the 
State University Mr. Williams made a specialty of the study 
of law and was admitted to the bar of Posey county shortly 
after graduation, where he practiced prior to his enlistment, 
and where he held the position of deputy prosecuting attor- 
ney. While in college he was a member of the college 
football team and manager of the baseball nine. On the 
13th of June Lieutenant Williams was married to Miss 



292 



HISTORY OF THE 



^^Mi 


^^^k ' * 


/%| 


d 


*^ 


P 


^'vj 


||^ 


It 


-^s'^ ^^ tf ^^li^^l 




sQi 



First Lieutenant Asa Kllwood Williams. 

Ethel Hinch; they were married under the beautiful silken 
flag of the company at lO o'clock in the morning, and 
together came to Camp Mount, where Mr. Williams was 
mustered in as first lieutenant on the iithof July. 



PERCY WELCH. 

Second Lieutenant Percy W^elch was born at Shawnee- 
town, Illinois, July 30, 1869. He received his early edu- 
cation in the common schools of southern Indiana, after 
which he took a course in Ewing College, Illinois. He 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 293 

taught school in Indiana for a period of eight years and 
was admitted to the Posey county bar in 1897. Mr, Welch 
was a member of the Indiana National Guard for three 
years, holding the position of first ssrgeant. He was mar- 
ried in 1894 to Miss Marguerite Jones, of New Harmony, 




Second Lieutenant Percy Welch, 

Indiana. In June he was elected to the second lieuten- 
ancy of Company B, and shared the fortunes of the com- 
pany until detailed, January 10, for provost duty with the 
Tenth United States Infantry in Havana and Matanzas. 
He was relieved from this latter duty in time to join his 
regiment for muster out at Savannah. Mr. Welch will 



294 HISTORY OF THE 

renew his legal studies in Indiana University and expects to 
engage in the practice of law in the county from which he 
came. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY B. 

During the month of April, while the dogs of war were 
p-rowlinsf and the motto "Remember the Maine" was 
uppermost in all men's minds, an attempt was made to 
organize a military company at Mt. Vernon. The first 
attempt was a failure as there was no possibility of accept- 
ance on the first call. Winston Menzies, who was to have 
been captain of the company, fearing there would be no 
second call, enlisted as a private in Company H, One Hun- 
dred and Fifty-ninth Indiana. A. E. Williams and Percy 
Welch, two enthusiastic embryo warriors, held the organ- 
ization awaiting the hoped-for second call. May 25 Presi- 
dent McKinley issued his second call for volunteers, and 
Posey county responded nobly to the call. A recruiting 
office was opened in Asa E. Williams' law office and the 
new recruits were sent into camp at the base ball park at 
the fair grounds. Our first camp was named in honor of 
Governor Hovey. It consisted of three tents and the base 
ball amphitheater. The commissary department was pre- 
sided over by Frank Jones, and it was a constant struggle 
to keep "the wolf from the door." 

But the patriotic Women's Relief Corps and the char- 
itable citizens of Mt. Vernon rallied to our support and a 
famine was happily averted in Camp Hovey. The city 
council of Mt. Vernon generously voted us a subsidy and 
we received a great bonanza from the proceeds of an ice 
cream festival held in the court house, by the Women's 
Relief Corps, for our benefit. In the last days of June the 
examinations of the recruits was held by Drs. Welch and 



o 

> 
Z 




296 HISTORY OF THE 

Hardwick at the Masonic hall. The examination was very 
thorough and many would-be warriors were disappointed 
by bsing rejected. Winston Menzies in the meantime had 
secured his discharge from the One Hundred and Fifty- 
ninth to come home as captain of the Mt. Vernon company. 
At the election of officers, Winston Menzies was chosen 
captain; Asa Williams, first lieutenant, and Percy Welch, 
second lieutenant. Drills were held daily at the fair 
grounds and nightly in the court house yard. The evening 
of June 29, while drilling in the court yard, we received a 
dispatch calling our company to Indianapolis. The glad 
news was received by the company with great rejoicing. 
At noon the next day, while in company front awaiting the 
captain's order to leave Camp Hovey, the company sus- 
tained the only defeat in its history, being suddenly charged 
upon by a blind cow, which caused an instantaneous stam- 
pede in our ranks. Captain Menzies, after rallying the 
company, marched us to the court house, where we were 
presented with a beautiful silken f^ag by Mrs. Charles 
Brenkman, on behalf of the Women's Relief Corps. Im- 
mediately after the flag presentation we marched to the 
Evansville & Terre Haute depot and departed for Indian- 
apolis. Company B's first complement of arms was fur- 
nished by John Moeller, the patriotic cooper of Posey's 
capital; each man was armed with a mammoth Posey 
county hoop-pole and the company did valiant service with 
these arms on the guard line at Camp Mount. On the 
morning of July i, Indianapolis was reached and we were 
quartered in barn " B." Company B has reason to be 
proud of its merited reputation in the regiment; always 
ready and cheerfully willing to perform its duty, always 
able to have out the largest number of men for drills or 
reviews; health record second to none, not a death while 
in the service. 



o 

I 

n 
o 



o 

W 

o 
O 

n 

w 

5d 

o 

o 
> 




298 HISTORY OF THE 

COMPANY B ROSTER. 

Winston Minzies, Captain — Mt. Vernon, Ind. 

Asa E. Williams, First Lieutenant — Mt. Vernon, Ind. 

Percy Welch, Second Lieutenant — ]Mt. Vernon, Ind. 

sergeants. 

Lowenhaupt, Mike, 1st Serg't, ]Mt. Vernon. Ind., Merchant. 
Jones, Frank, Q. M. Serg't, Springfield, Ind., Farmer. 
Works, Edward, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Butcher. 
Stephens, Harold, New Harmony, Ind., Student, discharged 

Feb. 1, 1899. 
Fuhrer, William B., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Billposter. 
Schultz, Oscar T., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Student, Serg't Maj. 

2d Battalion. 
Hovey, Randolph J., I\It. Vernon, Ind., Student, promoted 

Serg't from Corp. Feb. 10, 1899. 

CORPORALS. 

Bennett, Charles A., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Jan. 81, 1899. 
Nash, Flairance W., Poseyville, Ind.. Tinner. 
IMiller, Charles H.. Mt. Vernon, Ind., Moulder. 
Kreutzinger, James H., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Moore, Noble, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Clerk. 
Tingle, George R., Princeton, Ind., ^Machinist. 
Welsh, Michael, Richmond, Ind., Laborer, promoted to Corp. 

July 27, 1898. 
Switzer, Harry T., Princeton, Ind., Machinist, promoted to 

Corp. Oct. 18, 1898. 
Harris, John M., Princeton, Ind., Butcher. 
Green, George, Jr., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Clerk, promoted to 

Corp. Dec. 1, 1898. 
Stewart, William, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Pilot, promoted to Corp. 

Feb. 9, 1899. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 299 

Utley, JiimesK., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Ilorse-shoer, promoted to 

Corp. Feb. 21, 1899. 
Bays, Harold C, Sullivan, Ind., Electrician, promoted to 

Corp. Feb. 21, 1899. 

ARTIFICER. 

King, Samuel W., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Blacksmith. 

WAGONER. 

Kahn, vSamuel, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Insurance Agent. 

MUSICIANS. 

Lord, Harry M., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Musician, transferred to- 
Regimental Band Aug. 23, 1898. 

Lance, Edward, New Harmony, Ind., Florist, transferred to- 
Regimental Band Aug. 23, 1898. 

Wehr, Otto, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Machinist. 

Cravens, George W., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Printer. 

PRIVATES. 

Allen, James K., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Brickmason. 

Alsop, Linwood Z., New Harmony, Ind.. Plumber, discharged 

Feb. 4, 1899. 
Bayer, George, Ft. Branch. Ind., Farmer. 
Berlin, Charles T., New Harmony, Ind., Barber. 
Bieker, Frank, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Feb. 2, 1899. 
Boren, Ralph T., New Harmony, Ind., Clerk. 
Brokaw, Arthur, Ft. Branch, Ind., Farmer. 
Bruce, George M., Ft. Branch, Ind., Barber, discharged Mar 

15, 1899. 
Cantrell, James, West End, 111., Farmer. 
Casey, Benjamin F., Owensville, Ind., Farmer. 
Cawthone, Arthur, New Harmony, Ind., Clerk, discharged 

Feb. 7, 1899. 
Cooper, Levi, Ft. Branch, Ind., Farmer. 
Cox, Charles F. , Princeton, Ind., Laborer. 



300 



HISTORY OF THE 



Cox, George, Carmi, 111., Farmer. 

Crilley, James, Ft. Branch, Ind., Farmer. 

Cunningham, Isaac N., Hazelton, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Sept. 27, 1898. 
Drear, Thomas, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Carpenter. 
Easmon, Jacob, Carmi, 111., Laborer. 
Frohman, Peter, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Grabert, Gustave W., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Miller. 
Hanks, Charlie, Princeton, Ind., Laborer. 
Harding, George F., Golden Gate, 111., Farmer. 
Hayes, William S., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Plill, Richard, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Holleman, Porter G., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Machinist. 
Edwards, Calie, Scalesville, Ind., Farmer. 
Estes, Samuel, New Harmony, Ind., Brickmason. 
Houchin, Otta D., Pikeville, Ind., Farmer, 
Jones, Lemuel?., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Grocerman. 
Kaedel, Andrew, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Kennedy, John, Dekoven, Ky., Coalminer. 
Koerner, Ferdinand*, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Teacher. 
Kuykendall, Noah, Bufkin, Ind., Farmer. 
Lance, James, New Harmony, Ind., Farmer, discharged Jan. 

25, 1899. 
Lance, John, New Harmony, Ind., Farmer. 
LeGrange*, Oscar W., West Franklin, Ind., Carpenter. 
Maus, Charles G., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Males, John W., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Moulder. 
Marshall, David R., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Machinist. 
McAtee, George, Oatsville, Ind., Farmer, discharged, Jan. 

27, 1899. 
Meadows, Floyd, Princeton, Ind., Earner, discharged Mar. 2, 

1899. 
Miller, Charles A., Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Murphy, George A., Fitzgerald, Ga., Farmer. 
Murphy Orval, Fitzgerald, Ga., Farmer. 
Newell, Frank, Joplin, Mo., Farmer. 
Nicholson, Arthur, Springerton, 111., Farmer, 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY- IlKST INDIANA. 3OI 

Nuthmann, Charles, Princeton, Ind., Railroad Caller. 

Ott, Floyd, Princeton, Ind., Boilermaker. 

Parke, James, Spurgeon, Ind., Farmer. 

Parmer, Marion, Emma, 111., Farmer. 

Pearson, John F., Hazleton, Ind., Farmer. 

Pfeifer, August, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Tailor. 

Phifer, George B., Booneville, Ind., Engineer, dishonorably 

discharged Feb. 25, 1899. 
Pirnat, Albert, Evansville, Ind., Druggist. 
Powers, William M., Madisonville, Ky., Farmer. 
Reavis, Fred G., Princeton, Ind., Stone Cutter. 
Redenour, Frank, New Harmony, Ind., Hostler. 
Reed, Robert R., Booneville, Ind., Shoemaker. 
Rose, Henry, Owensville, Ind., Laborer. 
Schaefer, August E., Mt, Vernon, Ind., Harnessmaker. 
Singleton, Perry F., Pikeville, Ind., Farmer. 
Sluder, Lafayette, Henderson, Ky., Farmer. 
Smith, Jay J., Hazleton, Ind., Farmer. 
Smith, Henry, Owensville, Ind., Lather. 
Switzer, Lyman, Princeton, Ind., Carpenter. 
Spencer, Samuel, Owensville, Ind., Farmer. 
Summers, John, Evansville, Ind., Butcher. 
Trapp, William, Carmi, 111., Poultry Dresser. 
Turner, Burl E., Owensville, Ind., Laborer, transferred to- 

Hospital Corps Aug. 28, 1898. 
Vint, Everett, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Wallace, Peter, Booneville, Ind., Farmer. 
Walter, Edward, Mt. Vernon, Cook, transferred to Hospital 

Corps Aug. 20, 1898. 
Ward, Clarence E., New Harmony, Ind., Farmer. 
Weissinger, Jesse, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Carpenter. 
Westfall, Thomas A., Hazleton, Ind., Farmer. 
Williams, Harry, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 
Woerner, William, Evansville, Ind., Molder, 
Yeager, Harvey, Owensville, Ind., Farmer. 
Baldwin, Walter, Mt. Vernon, Ind., Carpenter, enlisted Aug. 

5, 1898. 



302 HISTORV OF THE 

Corkin, William L., Indianapolis, Ind., Barber, enlisted Dec. 

9, 1898. 

Hoge, Smith, Delphi, Ind., Student, enlisted Aug. 10, 1898. 
Norton, Nelson, Sullivan, Ind., Farmer, transferred from 159th 

Ind. Inf., Nov. 19, 1898. 
Stalnaker, Morton, Terre Haute, Ind., Laborer, enlisted Dec. 

10, 1898. 

COMPANY I. 



WILLIAM GUTHRIE. 

Captain William Guthrie was one of the ablest men 
in the regiment; he is a lawyer by profession, and although 
he came into the service without any previous military 
training, he made out of his raw recruits a company of 
most excellent regimental standing. Captain Guthrie is a 
native of Ohio, being born in Hamilton in the year 1852. 
When a child his parents moved to Indiana, settling in the 
county of White. It was in the common schools of this 
county the young man began his early educational training; 
entering the high school of Monticello, the county seat, he 
studied in that institution until a few years later he went 
to Logansport and finished his course in the Academy of 
that place. For eleven years after graduation he was a 
teacher in the schools of his county and in 1880 was elected 
to the position of county superintendent of public instruc- 
tion, when he was but twenty-eight years of age, which 
position he filled until the year 1884. While teaching he 
used his spare time in the study of law and was admitted 
to the bar of his adopted county in 1880, where he has since 
been practicing his profession in the law firm of Guthrie & 
Bushnell. He was a man of exemplary habits and took 
unusual interest in the morale of his company. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



303 




Captain William Guthrie. 



ANTHONY A. ANHEIRE. 



First Lieutenant Anthony A. Anheire was born in 
the city Logansport, June 29, 1867, and received his 
early education in the German CathoHc schools of that 
place, after which he entered Hall's Business College, also 
situated in Logansport. After completing his education he 
accepted a position with the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. 
Louis railroad, which position he retained for eight years. 
In 1886 Mr. Anheire moved to Monticello, where for sev- 



304 



HISTORY OF THE 



eral years he engaged successfully in the cigarmaking busi- 
ness and where he served for two years as city marshal, 
which position he occupied when he enlisted as first 
lieutenant of the company that came out from that place. 




FU'iST Lieutenant Anthony A. Anheire. 

Lieutenant Anheire was the lirst officer of the regiment 
to place his foot upon Cuban soil, being of a detail that 
preceded the regiment on the Roumania, that carried the 
greater portion of the regimental livestock. Mr. Anheire 
was on detached service while in Cuba with the Tenth 
Infantry at Havana and Mantanzas, leaving the regiment 
on December lO, and returning a few days before its 
departure for America. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 3O5 

JOHN R. WARD. 

Second Lieutenant John R. Ward was born in White 
county, Indiana, on the first day of April, 1872. He was 
educated in the city schools of Monticello, after which he 
spent one year in the State Normal schools of Valparaiso, 




Second Lieutenant John R. Ward. 

and then entered the State University at Bloomington. in 

1S93, where he graduated in the school of law in 1893; in 

the same year he was admitted to the bar and was. appointed 

to the position of deputy prosecuting attorney in his native 

city, Monticello, in which place he was engaged in the. 
20 



306 HISTORY OF THE 

practice of his profession when he enhsted and came out 
as second lieutenant of Company I. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY I. 

"The Volunteers! the Volunteers! 
God send us peace, through all our years; 
But if the cloud of war appears 
We'll see them once again." 

William Haines Lytle. 

Yesterday shapes and colors to-day and history repeats 
itself. The example set by the fathers in 1861 was 
imitated by the sons in 1898. As soon as it was learned 
that war with Spain \vas imminent an enthusiastic public 
meeting, called by Tippecanoe Post, G. A. R., was held in 
the Court House at Monticello, April 21st, 1898, and after 
patriotic addresses and songs resolutions were read and 
adopted which concluded as follows: 

"Being actuated by that patriotic spirit that has 
sustained our flag on land and sea and carried it to final 
victory on all occasions of the past, we hereby declare our 
fall confidence in our National and State authorities. And 
we most respectfully represent to the Governor of the 
State of Indiana that we are now ready to perform in 
behalf of our Government and State such services in the 
present conflict with Spain as may be in our power and in 
his judgment required by the occasion." 

A company was at once organized and the Governor of 
the State was notified that it was ready to be mustered 
into service at a moment's warning. This was before 
troops were called for, but the Governor assured Captain 
Guthrie and Lieutenants Anhier and Ward that the com- 
pany would surely be needed, and said for them to drill it 



o 

o 

> 
z 




308 HISTORY OF THE 

and put it into condition for service, and on June 30th, 
1898, he sent the following message: 

"Captain Wm. Guthrie: Your company will report 
at Indianapolis on next Monday, coming via "Monon." 
You will await further instructions from A. F. Houghton, 
Master of Transportation. James A. Mount, Gov. " 

Upon receipt of this message the Captain wrote the 
Governor asking that the company be allowed to remain 
in camp at the Fair Grounds west of Monticello until 
Tuesday, July 5th, in order that the men might spend 
Sunday at home and celebrate "The Fourth" at Monti- 
cello. This request was granted and while some of the 
men spent Saturday and* Sunday at home the parents of 
others visited them in camp. Monday, the Fourth, was 
spent at Monticello in celebrating and making final arrange- 
ments for departure. The ladies of the town served dinner 
to the company in the Court House. 

Tuesday came and with it came friends from far and 
near to say good-bye and see the company take its depart- 
ure. The G. A. R. and different civic organizations of 
the town turned out and escorted the company to the 
train and at 2:34 p. m., amid the boom of cannon, the 
waving of flags and handkerchiefs and tears of friends, the 
Company boarded the train for Indianapolis where on 
July 13th, 1898, it was mustered in as Company I, One 
Hundred and Si.xty-first Regiment Indiana Volunteer 
Infantry. 

The company was constantly with the regiment and 
participated in all its movements until January 8, 1899, 
when it was detailed on provost duty at Marianao, Cuba, 
where it remained until January 24th, returning to the 
regiment on that day. 

The muster-out occurred on April 30, 1899, and on the 
same day the company took the train for home, returning 



3IO HISTORY OF THE 

by Washington, D. C, and Indianapolis, Indiana. 
Arrangements had been made for a review of the whole 
regiment at Washington by the President, but owing to the 
unexpected delay of trains this was not fully carried out. 
However, as this company and three others arrived on the 
first section of the train on Monday evening. May ist, they 
were met by a committee of Indianians who escorted them 
to the White House where they were permitted to pass 
through the reception room. Each member of the 
company was presented with a silk badge bearing a cut of 
the Capitol building and these words: "Greeting: i6ist 
Regiment Indiana Volunteers. By Indianians in Washing- 
ton, D. C, May ist, 1899." 

Elaborate arrangements had been made for the recep- 
tion of this and the Michigan City and Hammond com- 
panies on Tuesday evening. May 2, but the previous delay 
of the train made this impossible and in lieu of this an 
early breakfast was served on Wednesday morning. The 
generous and loyal hospitality of the ladies was greatly 
appreciated by the companies, and the greeting extended 
them by the Governor and his acceptance of the regi- 
mental flag and colors were most touching, eloquent and 
inspiring. 

The company reached Monticello at 12 m., May 3rd, 
and were received with that joy that resides only in the 
hearts of those who have been anxiously waiting for the 
return of departed and long absent children. The home 
greeting will ever be remembered. Again the cannon 
boomed, flags waved, and bands discoursed music, while 
excited crowds surged along the streets, keeping pace with 
the boys and clasping their hands as they marched to the 
room where a home-coming feast had been prepared by the 
ladies of the town. The rapture of the delighted populace, 
the bounteous dinner, and address of welcome left an 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 3II 

impress in the minds of the receiving as well as the return- 
ing never to be eradicated, and fully demonstrated the loy- 
alty that resides in the hearts of the American people. 



COMPANY I ROSTER. 

William Guthrie, Captain, Monticello. Lawyer. 
Anthony A. Anheir, 1st Lieut., Monticello, Cigar- 
maker. 

John R. Ward, 2d Lieut., Monticello, Lawyer. 

SERGEANTS. 

Strubbe, Harry E., Goodland, Plumber, promoted 1st Sergt. 

Nov. 29, 1898, from corporal. 
Imes, Fred. S., Q. M. Sergt., Monticello, Clerk, appointed 

Qiiartermaster Serg't from corporal Dec. 22, 1898. 
Best, William D., Brookston, Laborer, mustered in as Serg't 

July 13, 1898. 
Cromer, Robert H., Logansport, Clerk, mustered in as Serg't 

July 18, 1898. 
Kassabaum, George W., Kentland, Lawyer, mustered in as 

Serg't July 13, 1898. 
Hubbard, Charles E., Francesville, Farmer, mustered in as 

Serg't July 13, 1898. 

CORPORALS, 

Thompson. Clinton H. , Monon, Student, mustered in as Corp. 

July, 13, 1898. 
Hausman, William Earl, Rensselaer, Salesman, mustered in 

as Corp. July 13, 1898. 
Holdridge, Leroy L., Wolcott, Farmer, mustered in as Corp. 

July 13, 1898. 
Goodwin, Marion L., Battle Ground, Farmer, mustered in 

as Corp. July 13, 1898. 



312 HISTORY OF THE 

Wallace, Lew, Battle Ground, Carpenter, mustered in as 

Corp. July 13, 1898. 
Burns, John, Logansport, Clerk, mustered in as Corp. July 

13, 1898. 
Garrigues, John U., Francesville, Carpenter, mustered in as 

Corp. July 13, 1898. 
Gorman, Daniel V., Logansport, Express Agent, promoted 

Corp. from private Nov. 29, 1898. 
Graham, John W., Kirkland, Laborer, promoted Corp. from 

private Nov. 29, 1898. 
Gibson, Frank E., Remington, Telegrapher, promoted Corp. 

from private Nov. 29, 1898. 
Coen, Newel M., Monticello, Clerk, promoted Corp. from 

Artificer Dec. 22, 1898. 
Loughry, Howard, Monticello, Student, promoted to Corp. 

from private Dec. 21, 1898. 

COOK. 

Smock, Thomas W., Indianapolis, Cook, enlisted and enrolled 
as cook, Dec. 2, 1898. 

MUSICIANS. 

Conner, Charles A., Reynolds, Traveling Salesman. 
Comer, William E., Reynolds, Carpenter. 

PRIVATES. 

Arrick, K. Guy, Monticello, Tanner. 

Arnold, Charles E., Delphi, Machinist. 

Ballard, Samuel P., Monon, Ditcher. 

Bates, Wilbur F., Monticello, Harness Manufacturer. 

Benica, Louis C, Logansport, Cook. 

Best. Charles A., Brookston, Ditcher. 

Bowman, George, Battle Ground, Farmer. 

Boyles, Charles S., Battle Ground, Hunter. 

Boyles, Benton A., Battle Ground, Barber. 

Bugbee, George J., Remington, Teacher. 

Burden, John W., Monticello, Laborer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 313 

Brown, Arthur H., Monticello, Student. 

Cooley, George, Brookston, Laborer. 

Cowger, Raymond, Monticello, Farmer. 

Crafton, Paul, Bedford, Ind., Farmer. 

Crowell, Richard, Monticello, Clerk. 

Coombs, Edward, Brownstown, Laborer, transferred from Co. 

G, 159th Ind. to 161st Ind., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Dillman, William O., Battle Ground, Well Driller. 
Downs, William A., Battle Ground, Carpenter. 
Didlake. Roy P., Monticello, Student. 
DiflFy, John, Pickard, Laborer. 
Evans, Albert, Wheatfield, Laborer. 
Fehrle, John G., Goodland, Laborer. 
Fox, Stuart T., Monticello, Student. 
Garwood, Corydon, Monon, Farmer. 
Goodrich, Guy, Wolcott, Carpenter. 
Guest, Frank A., Monticello, Laborer. 
Hager, Charles A, Logansport, Cigarmaker. 
Hartz, John F., Logansport, Boilermaker. 
Hart, Joseph, Monticello, Farmer. 
Hawkina, William J., Rensselaer, Farmer. 
Hay ward, Lorenzo, Monon, Farmer. 
Heglin, William, Monon, Cook. 
Herron, Richard, Monticello, Cigarmaker. 
Hurst, William A., Battle Ground, Barber. 
Hollcraft, Charles H., Hammond, Laborer. 
Horner, George W., Knox, Ind., Farmer. 
Karp, George A., Monticello, Student. 
Lee, Claude J., Logansport, Railroader. 
Lefler, Israel J., Francesville, Hostler. 
Leslie, Albert, E., Monon, Railroader. 
Longwell, John, Francesville, Farmer. 
Langner, Gustave A., Evansville, Laborer, transferred from 

Co. M, 159th Ind., to Co. I, l(31st Ind., Dec. 4, 1S98. 
> Mahoney, Daniel, Bessemer, Mich., Brakeman. 
Mair, Albert, Monon, Baker. 
Meyer, Henry Gustave, Remington, Painter. 



314 



HISTORY OF THE 



Montrose, Jesse, Peru, Papermaker. 

McCloud, Edward E., vSheldon, 111., Clerk. 

McChristy, Enos A., Round Grove, Farmer. 

McNett, Walter, Wolcott, Farmer. 

Murphy, Charles L., Remington, Farmer. 

Myers, Oliver C, Brookston, Farmer. 

Maxey, William, Booneville, Farmer, transferred to Co. I, 

161st Ind., from Co. M, 159th Ind., Dec. 1, 1898. 
McConnell, John F., Evansville, Clerk, transferred to Co. I, 

161st Ind., from Co. M, 159th Ind., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Miller, Reverdy J., Bloomington, Laborer, transferred to Co. 

I, 161st Ind., from Co. H, 159th Ind., Dec. 4, 1898. 
Netzel, William, Medaryville, Laborer. 
Pettit, William, Monticello, Laborer. 
Reynolds, Elmer E., Monticello, Farmer. 
Rogers, Alva J., Monon, Farmer. 
Rinier, Edward L., Hopedale, Farmer. 
Sheets, Samuel H., Monon. Farmer. 
Shide, Frank, Remington, Farmer. 
Simons, Walter A., Monticello, Student. 
Smith, Bruce W., Goodland, Laborer. 
Sorrel, Perry IL, Rensselaer, Harnessmakt r. 
Stanley, Melvin, Monon, Farmer. 
Strebe, Edward, Brookston, Blacksmith. 
Tanguy, William E., Logansport, Printer. 
Tharpe, Walter C, Rensselaer, Farmer. 
Tharpe, Wilber, Rensselaer, Teacher. 
Th mpson, Wilber L., Monon, Railroader. 
Tice, Stephen E., Goodland, Farmer. 
Ward, James A., Monticello, Student. 
Whitted, Elmer, Francisville, Painter. 
Wood, Oliver H., Remington, Farmer. 
Young, Harrison, Roachdale, Farmer. 

DISCHARGED BY ORDER. 

Shaull, Plenry A., private, Lochiel, Farmer, discharged per 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 315 

Special Order No. G, Wiir Department. Adjutant Gen- 
eral's Office, Jan. G, 1899. 

Rourke, John P., private, Monon, Tailor, discharged per 
Special Order No. IG, War Department, Adjutant 
General's Office, Jan. 18, 1899, order dated Jan. 30, 1899. 

Henry, Hiram, private, Monticello, Farmer, discharged Jan. 
24, 1899, per Special Order 21, War Department, 
Adjutant General's Office. 

McDaniels, George A., wagoner. Battle Ground, Farmer, dis- 
charged per Special Order No. 2G, War Department, 
Adjutant General's Office, dated Feb. 1, 1899. 

Newton, James B., private, LaFayette, Laborer, discharged 
Jan. 30, 1899, per Special Order dated Feb. 4, 1899. 

Brooks, Edward E, private, Logansport, Laborer, discharged. 
per Special Order 29, War Department, Adjutant Gen- 
eral's Office, Feb. 4, 1899. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Scott, Franklin G., Goodland, Carpenter, transferred to 
United States Volunteer Hospital Corps, per Special 
Order No. 10, dated August 20, 1898. 

Dexter, Jacob W., Goodland, Carpenter, transferred to LTnited 
States Volunteer Hospital Corps, per Special Order 
No. 10, dated August 20, 1898. 

Tharpe, Walter A., musician. Remington, Teacher, trans- 
ferred to United Sta«^es Voluntser Signal Corps Dec. 
10, per Special Order 282, Adjutant General's Office, 
dated Nov. 30, 1898. 

Engle, Walter M., Francisville, Electrician, transferred to 
United States Volunteer Signal Corps Dec. 31, 1898, 
per Special Order 291, Adjutant General's Office, dated 
Dec. 10, 1898. 

DIED OF DISEASE, 

Kuns, Clarence D., Brookston, Barber, died Sept. 24, at Third 
Division Hospital o typhoid fever. Camp Cuba Libre, 
Fla. 



3l6 HISTORY OF THE 

Stivers. Wallace D., Corp., Rensselaer, Farmer, died at Third 
Division Hospital, of typhoid fever, Camp Cuba Libre, 
Fla., Oct. 14, 1898. 

Xepperling, George, Chalmers, Farmer, died Oct. 23, at Chal- 
mers, Ind., while on furlough. 

Weaver, William G., Monticello, Farmer, died in Second 
Division Hospital, Camp Onward, Ga., Nov. 7, 1898, 
of stomach trouble. 

Turner, Joseph F., San Pierre, Blacksmith, died in Division 
Hospital, Camp Onward, Ga., Nov. 80, 1898, of pneu- 
monia. 



COMPANY F. 



PAUL COMSTOCK. 

Captain Paul Comstock is the son of Judge D. W. 
Comstock, of the Appellate Bench of Indiana. He was 
born at Richmond, Indiana, in the year 1873. After his 
early training he spent one year in the Oxford Military 
Naval Academy, at the close of which he entered the Rich- 
mond high school, graduating in 1891; his education was 
then finished in the Earlham College and the Ohio Wes- 
leyan University. Mr. Comstock was then tendered a posi- 
tion in the general superintendent's office of the Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad Company at Columbus, and later in the engin- 
eering departm.ent at Indianapolis, in which position he con- 
tinued until April, 1898, when he was appointed claim 
agent for the same road, in which service he was engaged 
when he enlisted for the war. Mr. Comstock was elected 
first lieutenant of his company and was for several months 
adjutant of the Second Battalion and upon the resignation 
of Captain Smith was promoted to the position of captain, 
April I, 1899. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



317 




Captain Paul Comstock, 



ELMER E. KIMMEL. 

Second Lieutenant Elmer E. Kimmel, "Old Kim, "as 
he was familiarly known, is the son of Charles F. and Cath- 
erine S. Kimmel, sturdy German stock. The father, a vet- 
eran of the Civil war, following the desires of his heart to 
give his first son a good name, remembered an illustrious 
officer who was among the first to give up his life for the 
union, Colonel E. Elmer Ellsworth, and called the son^ 



3i8 



HISTORY OF THE 



born to him, August 3, 1874, Elmer Ellsworth Kimmel. 
Educated in the public schools of his native city, Dayton, 
Ohio, at the early age of thirteen, he began the struggle of 
life. The start was made as a cash boy at one dollar and 
a half per week, but not having a liking for mercantile 




Second Lieutenant Elmer E. Ivimmel. 



business finally drifted into bookbinding, at which trade he 
served a full apprenticeship. While following this trade he 
drifted into Richmond, Indiana, in June, 1894, adopting 
Hoosierdom as his chosen home; while here the desire came 
for a more complete education and having a favorable op- 
portunity of working his way through Earlham, a Quaker 
college, he spent two years at that institution, from which 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



319 



place he enlisted as a member of the Richmond company 
and was commissioned second lieutenant, which office he 
filled until the resignation of Captain Will M. Smith, when 
promoted to the first lieutenancy. It is the intention of 
Lieutenant I\immel to enter Ann Arbor University, taking 
up medicine as a special study. 



WILLIAM H. DRAPIER. 

Second Lieutenant Drapier's life has been spent in the 
city of Indianapolis, in which place he was born in 1869, 




Second Lieutenant William H. Drapier. 



320 HISTORY OF THE 

and in the public schools of which he received his educa- 
tion, graduating from the high school in 1887. After grad- 
uation Mr. Drapier embarked in the insurance business and 
there continued until the breaking out of the Spanish-Amer- 
ican war. He enlisted with Company F as a private and 
was rapidly advanced through the line of promotion to the 
position of second lieutenant of the company. Mr. Drap- 
ier's promotion was due to his efficient and excellent mili- 
tary training, having served several years in various capaci- 
ties in the Indiana National Guard. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY F. 

Richmond, the " Quaker City," is generally quiet, but 
when the news came of the blowing up of the Maine it 
woke up. Several enterprising young men, about four or 
five, who desired a captain's commission started a com- 
pany, but as the city did not have a military company, she 
must wait for the second call before being represented in 
the army of the United States. Interest waned until the 
company organized by Will M. Smith was alone in the 
field. This company was at first intended to be an artillery 
company, and besides drilling in infantry drill quite a num- 
ber of the men purchased old French bayonets, almost two 
feet long, and practiced the saber drill. We had free access 
to a large hall, and the gas company, with true patriotism, 
furnished the light gratis. The company met two nights 
each week, and after drilling a short time in the hall would 
drill around the court house square. In the meanwhile 
another company was organized, and for a time there was 
intense rivalry as to which company would be called upon 
after the second call came and it was known that Wayne 
county would have one company in the state quota. 




21 



322 HISTORY OF THE 

During the latter part of June it was daily expected 
that the call would come from the governor to come to 
Indianapolis. The signal agreed upon was for the large 




Captain Will M. Smith. 

manufacturing concerns to blow their whistles. Friday, 
June 24, the governor telegraphed who was to be the 
examining surgeon — Dr. Weist, a veteran of the Civil war, 
and at 4 p. m. the whistles gave the discordant alarm and 
the boys left their work benches, dropping their tools and 
hastened to the room in the Westcott hotel, where the 
news was read to them, telling them to be in readiness. 
Saturday and Sunday was spent in medical examinations, 
and Monday we expected to go to the state capitol; instead 
we were ordered to await further orders. Something must 
be done, as many had come in from the country and neigh- 
boring cities, expecting to leave Monday, and others having 
left their work would become impatient. Glen Mills, a 
natural park situated on the eastern side of Richmond, was 
decided would be a good place for a temporary camp, and 






o 

o 




324 HISTORY OF THE 

procuring permission from the city to use it we went into 
camp Monday afternoon of the 24th of June. The dancing- 
paviHon was used for sleeping and eating quarters. The 
first thing done was, each man carried an arm load of hay 
to sleep on, it being our first experience of the kind. The 
good people of Richmond subscribed liberally to procure 
food, and we did live in those days. We had guard mount 
every day, besides about four hours' drill every afternoon. 
We had free use of the boats on the lake, and were allowed 
the especial privilege of bathing in the lake. Great crowds 
came to see us drill, and here we lived and in each one's 
memory there will ever live the jolly times of those fond 
days at Camp Ostrander, our first camp. Friday we 
marched through the city to the depot, where we bid our 
relatives and friends a sad farewell, for little did we know 
whether we would ever meet again or not, and three of 
our number returned not. 

At 10:40 Friday, July i, we left for Camp Mount, 
being the fourth company to report for duty; from here our 
history became a part of the regimental history. 



COMPANY F ROSTER. 

Will M. Smith, Captain — Resigned March 31, 1899 ; Greens- 
burg, Ind., Electrical Engineer. 

Paul Comstock, Captain — Promoted from 1st Lieutenant. 
April 1, 1899; Richmond, Ind., Claim Agent. 

Elmer E. Kimmel, 1st Lieutenant — Promoted from 2d Lieu- 
tenant April 1, 1899; Richmond, Ind., Student. 

William H. Drapier, Jr., 2d Lieutenant — Promoted from 
Sergeant, April 1, 1899; Indianapolis, Ind., Broker. 

sergeants. 

]Martin, William, 1st Serg't, Richmond, Ind., Laborer, dis- 
charged Feb. 18, 1899. 



o 

o 

O 
> 

r 



O 
o 

s 

> 
•z 




326 HISTORY OF THE 

Moss, Abraham T., Eaton, Ohio, Machinist, discharged 
March 8, 1899. 

Tawer, Oscar P., Jr., Richmond, Ind., Action Finisher, ap- 
pointed Q. M. vSerg't Jan. 17, 1899. 

Edwards, Leroy, Richmond, Ind., Drayman. 

Weissgerber, John C, New Castle, Ind., Salesman, dis- 
charged Jan. 16, 1899. 

Keller, Frank, Richmond, Ind., Papermaker, appointed Cor- 
poral July 12, 1898 ; appointed Sergeant March 13, 

1899. ' 
Tawer, Paul O., Richmond, Ind., Florist, appointed Corporal 

July 12, 1898; appointed Sergeant March 18, 1899. 
Sheppard, Henry W., Seymour, Ind., Florist, appointed Cor- 
poral July 12, 1898 ; appointed Sergeant March IB,. 
1899. 

CORPORALS. 

Bader, Charles O., Richmond, Ind., vStudent. 

Kuhlman, Charles O., Richmond, Ind., Plumber. 

Petry, Harvey C, Fountain City, Ind., Laborer. 

Arnett, Willis W., Richmond, Ind., Laborer. 

Steele, John J,, Richmond, Ind., Printer, appointed Corp. 

Aug. 20, 1898. 
Handley, Albert E., College Corner, Ohio, Painter, appointed 

Corp. Aug. 20, 1898. 
Addleman, John F., Whitewater, Ind., Laborer, appointed 

Corp. Sept. 1, 1898. 
Weissgerber, Frank H., New Castle, Ind., Florist, appointed 

Corp. Oct. 18, 1898. 
Bode, Frederick, appointed Corp. March 13, 1898. 
Stratton, Roy O. 

MUSICIANS. 

Foard, William G., Richmond, Ind,, Clerk. 
Muye, George, Richmond, Ind., Machinist. 

WAGONER. 

Hennigar, Gilbert S.. Richmond, Ind., Blacksmith, appointed 
Wagoner Jan. 18, 1899. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 327 

ARTIFICER. 

Hennigar, Harry, Richmond, Ind., discharged March 11, 1899. 

COOK. 

Higgs, George, Richmond, Ind., Carpenter. 

PRIVATES. 

Addleman, Samuel C, White Water, Ind., Butcher. 
Allen, Roy M., Liberty, Ind., Painter. 

Allinder, William, Richmond, Ind., Machinist. 

Bader, Robert S., Richmond, Ind. 

Brown, Denver, W. Manchester, Ohio, Farmer, died in Jack- 
sonville, Fla., Oct. 28, 1898. 

Buoy, Charles E., Indianapolis, Ind., Polisher, 

Caseley, John E., Richmond, Ind., Machinist, discharged Feb. 
23, 1899. 

Cassel, Walter H., Richmond, Ind., Machinist. 

Clark, John W., Machinist. 

Connaughton,^John F., Machinist, discharged March 1, 1899. 

Cook, Harry P., Richmond, Ind., Laborer. 

Cook, Joseph R., Richmond, Ind., Operator. 

Decker, Berttie E., Richmond, Ind., Painter. 

DeVerse, Joseph E., Richmond, Ind., Papermaker, deserted 
Sept. 20, discharged without honors Nov. 3, 1898. 

Dickerson, Benjamin F., Clymers, Ind., Laborer. 

Dickey, Marshall D., Richmond, Ind., Painter. 

Duke, James F., Richmond, Ind., Farmer. 

Duke, William H., Richmond, Ind., Farmer. 

Edwards, John, Richmond, Ind., Painter. 

Elliott, Worley F., Richmond, Ind., Farmer. 

Estep, William C, Richmond, Ind., Moulder. 

Francis, John S., Metamora, Franklin Co., Ind., Printer. 

Fudge, Rufus, Richmond, Ind., Printer. 

Fossenkemper, Charles O., Glen Park, Richmond, Ind., La- 
borer. 

Francis, George B., Indianapolis, Ind., Carpenter. 

Granger, Herman E., DeMotte, Jasper Co., Ind., Carpenter. 



328 HISTORY OF THE 

Graham, Stephen R., Litchfield, Ky., Farmer. 

Grice, Alonzo N., Richmond, Ind., Printer. 

Haley, Jerrv, Indianapolis, Ind., Lather. 

Harmeyer, Harry, Richmond, Ind., Laborer. 

Hassard, Richard B., Richmond, Ind. , Polisher. 

Henderson, Robert J., Lynn, Ind., Barber. 

Hamilton, John, Indianapolis, Ind., discharged Feb. 7, 1899. 

Hieger, William E., Richmond, Ind., Machinist, discharged 

Dec. 31, 1898. 
Hites, John H., Richmond, Ind., Painter. 
Hoar, Toll") Centerville, Ind., Farmer, transferred to Band 

Aug. 23, 1898. 
Hollopeter, John, Richmond, Ind.. Gr. Clerk. 
Hollowell, Charles A., Danville, 111., Actor, 
Holtcamp, Charlie, Richmond, Ind., Boilermaker. 
Horr, Argus O., Richmond, Ind., Machinist. 
Hurst, Addison C, Richmond, Ind., Messenger. 
Jarrett, Lilleton B., Cox Mills. Ind., Farmer. 
Judy, Lista B., Laborer. 
Kain, Harry F., Richmond, Ind., Laborer, died in Richmond, 

Indiana. 
Kelly, Harry E., Richmond, Ind., Smith. 
Lanius, Charles W., Richmond, Ind., Painter. 
Loftus, Michael, Richmond, Ind., Coremaker. 
Lovin, George E., Richmond, Ind., Weaver, discharged Feb. 

24, 1899. 
Morgan, Charles E., Buena Vista, Colo., Miner. 
Mull, Albert, Carpenter. 
Murray, Alden, Metamora, Ind., Printer. 
Nolan, William, Richmond, Ind., Laborer, discharged Feb. 

20, 1899. 
Nye, Edward L., Prestonville, Ky., Clerk. 
Pyle, John B. U., Mount Carmel, Ind.. Saddler. 
Reese, William, Hammond, Ind., Farmer, discharged Sept. 

28, 1898. 
Reckers, Henry J., Richmond, Ind., Laborer, 
Rusche, Frank, Richmond, Ind., Carriage Trimmer 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 329 

Ryder, Harry, Richmond, Ind., IVIacliinist. 

Stanley, Franklin li., Richmontl, Ind., Gr. Clerk. 

Snyder, William, Columbus, Ind., Laborer. 

Sanders, John H., Richmond, Tnd., Farmer. 

Simpson, Walter, Richmond, Ind., Clerk. 

Steorall, Everett E., Williamsburg, Ind., Blacksmith 

Thomas, Harry J., Richmond, Ind., Teamster. 

Thomas, Ira L., Richmond, Ind., Machinist. 

Thompson, Joseph H., Richmond, Ind., Laborer. 

Toler, George C, Richmond, Ind., Plumber. 

Trakowski, Fred W., Richmond, Ind., Baker. 

Trimble, Charles F., Richmond, Ind., Machinist, died at 

Camp Columbia, Cuba, Jan. 17, 1890. 
Triplett, Harry N., Richmond, Ind., Farmer. 
Vanzant, Charles E., Richmond, Ind., Laborer. 
Weaver, Samuel J., Richmond, Ind., Teamster. 
Woesner, William, Metamora, Ind., Farmer. 
Wright, Silvester E., Lynn, Ind., School Teacher, transferred 

to Regimental Band, Aug. 28, 1898. 
Yedding, Ferdinand, Richmond, Ind., Painter. 
Zurwelle, George R., Cox ^lills, Ind.. Laborer. 
Zurwelle, William .S., Cox jNIills, Ind., Gardener. 

RECRUITED SINCE DAY OF MUSTER. 

Burgan, Burton E., Terre Haute, Ind., Teamster, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I., Nov. 23, 1898. 
Cline, Walter, Columbus, Ind., R. R. Fireman, appointed 

Corp. March 18, 1899. 
Hill, John, Green Castle, Ind., Laborer, transferred from the 

159th I. V. I., Nov. 28, 1898. 
Lucas, Charles, Indianapolis, Ind., Masseuer, transferred from 

159th I. V. I., Nov. 25, 1898. 
Levy, Carl, Evansville, Ind., Moulder. 
Metlin, Earl, Evansville, Ind., Bookkeeper, transferred from 

159th I. V. L, Nov. 28, 1898. 
Maxwell, Clifford C, Indianapolis, Ind., Clerk. 
McCoy, Earl, Lawrence, Ind., Tile Moulder, appointed Corp, 



330 HISTORY OF THE 

March 18, 1899, transferred from 159th I. V. I., Nov. 
28, 1898. 

Shearer, Chester A., Terre Haute, Ind., Laundryman, trans- 
ferred from 159th I. V. I. 

Secrist, Leo, Terre Haute, Ind., Tinner, transferred from 
159th I. V. I., Nov. 28, 1898. 

Singler, George, Evansville, Ind., Baker, transferred from 
159th I. V. I., Nov. 28, 1898. 



COMPANY D. 



RICHARD W. BUCHANAN. 

Captain Richard W. Buchanan was one of the young- 
est officers of the regiment and was the youngest captain 
of the United States army in the recent Spanish war, born 
in Carrollton, Kentucky, June 28, 1879. His family moved 
to Madison, Indiana, when he was yet a child, where he 
was .reared and where he received his early education, 
graduating from the Madison high school in 1896. At 
the close of his studies he became the city editor of 
the Madison Daily Democrat and afterwards associate 
editor of the Madison Daily Herald. He also cor- 
responded for several metropolitan dailies and became 
well-known in newspaper circles. He so materially 
aided through his newspaper capacity in the organization 
of the Madison company that upon its acceptance he was 
elected to the position of second lieutenant. During the 
first days of camp life he acted as correspondent for the 
Indianapolis Journal, but finding it confiicting with his mili- 
tary duties he gave it up. Upon the resignation of Captain 
Cosby he was commisioned on the 8th of March as cap- 
tain of his company. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-i-IKST INDIANA. 



33^ 




Captain Richard W. Buchanan. 



CYRUS A. JACKSON. 

Prior lo hostilities with Spain, Cyrus A. Jackson was 
the genial and obliging city superintendent of the Metro- 
politan Life Insurance Company, at Madison, Indiana. Mr. 
Jackson was elected first lieutenant of Company D, at the 
organization of that company. He assisted Chief McCul- 
lagh in the organization of the Metropolitan police force 
of the city of Havana, and distinguished himself by the 
capture of a burglar and desperado. Lieutenant Jackson 



332 



HISTORY OF THE 




First Lieutenant Cyrus A. Jackson. 

was born at Vincennes, Indiana, in 1865, educated in the 
public schools of his natiYe city, and has spent the greater 
portion of his life in the far West. 



LAYTON M. PARKHURST. 

Second Lieutenant Layton M. Parkhurst entered Com- 
pany D as a private, and was rapidly advanced through 
the line of promotion to first sergeant and was appointed 
second lieutenant of his company March 11, 1899. Mr. 
Parkhurst was born at Franklin, Indiana, October 14, 1876. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY- FIRST INDIANA. 



333 



His parents dying when he was cjuite young, he made his 
home with his uncle at Lebanon, Indiana. After finishing 




Second Lieutenant Layton M. Parkiiukst. 

the course of the schools of Lebanon Mr. Parkhurst 
engaged in the drug business at Lebanon until the outbreak 
of the war. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY D. 

Company D, of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indi- 
ana, reported at Camp Mount for examination and muster 
in, on the ist of July, 1898. But it must not be inferred 
that the Madison public nor the individual members of the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIKST INDIANA. 



335 



company, were so tardy in the offer of life and service for 
the nation as the mustering date of the regiment would 
indicate. Immediately upon the declaration of war a com- 
pany was roughly organized in the "city neath the hills," 
but the claims of the rival leaders caused its partial dis- 
ruption, a considerable number of the organizations combin- 
ing with a similar faction from Roachdale to form a com- 
pany in the One Hundred and Fifty-ninth. Upon the 
second call of the president for volunteers the disorganized 
and disheartened members came together, under the lead- 
ership of Captain Charles E. Cosby, and through the force 




Captain Charles E. Cosby. 

and persistency of patriotic fervor, secured from Governor 
Mount the approval which made their calling and election 
sure. The company moved to Indianapolis more than one 




o 



c/). 



^ii»&,jfi:4 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 337 

hundred strong. Not to be selfish, contingents were 
admitted to its ranks from Seymour, North Vernon and 
Bedford. Through the ordeal of examination, a high stand- 
ard of physique and intelligence was maintained in the 
leadership of the body. Captain Cosby was sustained by 
Lieutenants Cyrus A. Jackson and Richard W. Buchanan. 
It fell to the lot of Company D to be quartered in one 
of the horse barns at the fair grounds; to the use of the 
commissioned officers was assigned the apartments once 
occupied by Star Pointer; the appointments, however, were 
too conmiodious for soldiers, so much so, that the boys 
were glad to be transferred to the canvas camp. 

The thousand and one laughable incidents which 
marked the apprentice period of Company D, in common 
with other companies, lose their point in telling. Out of 
the confusion of this period, organization and soldierly dis- 
cipline were gradually attained. At Jacksonville, the com- 
pany suffered considerably from the climate; uncertainty 
to the future, dread lest it might be their lot to go home 
without having seen service, lowered the spirits of the men. 
In camp at Savannah, the town was more cheerful, the 
prospect was definite. No man in the company will ever 
cease to prize his experience in setting foot on Cuban soil, 
and no man in the company can fail to be thankful that old 
" D" had not quite entered San Lazarus street in the city 
of Havana at the supreme moment when our flag went up- 
over Morro Castle, for each man was thus permitted to 
witness the transfer of empire. Reviewing all its experiences 
while on the island. Company D feels that it was very 
fortunate, favored in health, in pleasant camp site and in 
privileges to see and enjoy. Soon after the promotion of 
Lieutenant Richard W. Buchanan to captaincy. Company 

D became the color company and guide of the regiment. 
22 




< 

o 
U 

< 

O 
P- 

u 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 339 



COMPANY D ROSTER. 

Charles E. Cosby, Captain — Resi^^nation tendered Feb. 8, 

1899, accepted Feb. 25, 1899. 
Richard W. Buchanan, Captain — Promoted from 2d Lieut. 

March 9, 1899. 
Cyrils A. Jackson. 1st Lieutenant. 
Layton W. Parkhurst, 2d Lieutenant — Promoted from 1st 

Serg't March 10, 1899. 

SERGEANTS. 

Ferguson, W. Scott, 1st Serg't, Canaan, Ind.. Engineer, ap- 
pointed 1st Serg't March 15, 1899. 

Taylor, John S., Q. M. Serg't, Hanover, Ind., Farmer, mus- 
tered as Q. M. Serg't. 

Huckleberry, Silas D., North Vernon, Ind., Student, mus- 
tered as Serg't. 

Carter, Everett, Seymour, Ind., Clerk, mustered as Serg't. 

Griffith, Ulysses J., Vevay, Ind., Law Student, promoted to 
Corp Sept. 11, 1898, promoted to Serg't Dec. 9, 1898. 

Stoner, Henry, Brightwood, Ind., Bookkeeper, promoted to 
Corp. Aug. 20, 1898, promoted to Serg't March 15, 
1899. 

CORPORALS. 

Jeffries, John, Madison, Ind., Miller, mustered as Corp. 

Rayborn, William E., Canaan, Ind., Farmer, mustered as 
Corp. 

Vawter, Charles D., Madison, Ind., Traveling Salesman, pro- 
moted to Corp. Aug. 20, 1898. 

Oliver, Samuel, Madison, Ind., Laborer, promoted to Corp. 
Aug. 20, 1898. 

Sayers, Robert M., Madison, Ind., Stenographer, mustered as 
Corp. 

Wheeler, Cale K., Evansville, Ind., Patternmaker, transferred 
to Co. D from Co. E, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898, pro- 
moted to Corp. Dec. 9, 1898. 



340 HISTORY OF THE 

Burroughs, Elmer, Mt. Sterling, Ind., Farmer, promoted to 

Corp. Dec. 9, 1898. 
IMiles, Gus E., North Vernon, Ind., Carpenter, promoted to 

Corp. March 15, 1899. 
Thorpe, Charles A., Cartersburg, Ind., Laborer, promoted to 

Corp. March 15, 1899. 
Neal, DeCourcy, Brooksburg, Ind., Farmer, promoted to 

Corp. March 15, 1899. 
Herring, William, Pleasant, Ind., Farmer, promoted to Corp. 

March 15, 1899. 

MUSICIANS. 

Harper, John E., Pleasant, Ind., Farmer, mustered as Musi- 
cian. 

Brownscombe, Chas. W., Bedford, Ind., Paper Hanger, 
transferred to Co. D, 161st Ind., from Co. H, 159th 
Ind., Nov. 23, 1898, appointed Musician Dec 7, 1898. 

ARTIFICER. 

Loyd, Joseph W., Versailles, Ind.. Carpenter, mustered as 
Artificer. 

WAGONER. 

Riedel, Ronald H., Zion, Ind., Farmer, mustered as Wagoner, 



Ivor, Charles N., Canaan, Ind., Cook, mustered as Cook Dec. 
2, 1898. 

PRIVATES. 

Abbott, Harrison, Madison, Ind., Laborer. 
Adams, George W., Guthrie, Ind., Laborer. 
Arnold, Edward, Vernon, Ind., Laborer. 
Ballard, Martin, Madison, Ind., Laborer. 
Bassett, Robert S., Versailles, Ind., Laborer. 
Blue, Arther, Seymour, Ind.. Tailor. 
Bucy, Leander, Brightwood, Ind., Railroader. 
Casey, Ashby, Madison, Ind., Cook. 
Chambers, Clarence B., Kent, Ind., Farmer. 
Clarkson, Andrew J., ]SIadison. Ind., Laborer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 34 1 

Coryell, Charles, Hayden, Ind., Farmer. 

Crain, Gilbert D., Evansville, Ind., .Student, transferred to 

Co. D, 161st Ind., from Co. E, 159tli Ind., Nov. 23, 

1898. 
Davis, Chester, North Vernon, Ind., Student. 
Dowlen, Henry, Bedford, Ind., Clerk. 
Dugan, William M., Indianapolis, Ind., Tool Grinder. 
Evans, Harry O., North Vernon, Ind., Laborer, transferred 

to Co. D, 161st Ind., from Co. G, 159th Ind., Nov. 

23, 1898. 
Foster, Charles, North Vernon, Ind., Laborer. 
French, Emanuel, Indianapolis, Ind., Farmer. 
Frooks, James, Madison, Ind., Riverman. 
Gaussin. Clarence C, Bedford, Ind., Clerk. 
Gilligan, Joseph, Faulkner, Ind., Farmer. 
Griffin, Harvey, Canaan, Ind., Farmer. 
Grubbs, Wilkerson E., Madison, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 
Hagan, Robert E., Canaan, Ind., Salesman. 
Haukins, James, Madison, Ind., Laborer. 
Hargrove, Benjaman R., North Vernon, Ind., Clerk. 
Harper, Charles E., Pleasant, Ind., Farmer. 
Harrison, Thomas, Bee Camp, Ind., Farmer. 
Hatcher, John H., Vincennes, Ind., Cutter, transferred to Co. 

D, 161st Ind., from Co. L, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 
Henderson, Arthur, Seymour, Ind., Farmer. 
Henderson, Charles C, Seymour, Ind., Railroader. 
Hill, William, Seymour, Ind., Clerk. 
Hoskins, John W., Evansville, Ind., Clerk, transferred to Co. 

D, 161st Ind., from Co. E, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 
Hyatt, William, Madison, Ind., Steamboating. 
Jackson, Hiram, China, Ind., Farmer. 
Jenkins, William E., Madison, Ind., Ship Carpenter. 
King, Otto, North Vernon, Ind., Laborer, transferred to Co. 

D, 161st Ind., from Co. G, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 
Lawler, Roy, North Vernon, Ind., Laborer. 
Lostetter, George, Madison, Ind., .Spoke Turner. 
Lunger, Isaac, Madison, Ind., Laborer. 



342 HISTORY OF THE 

Mathew, James, North Vernon, Ind., Laborer. 
Matthews, John H., Manville, Ind., Farmer. 
Matthews, Aubrey E., McGregor, Ind., Farmer. 
McGee, George, Madison, Ind., Laborer. 
Metz, Fred, Versailles, Ind., Laborer. 
Parsons, Elmore O., Madison, Ind., Laborer. 
Prather, John K., Seymour, Ind., Egg Packer. 
Ray, Wesley M., Bloomington, Ind., Farmer, transferred to 
Co. D, 161st Ind., from Co. H, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 
1898. 
Rea, Harvey, Haney's Corner, Ind., Farmer. 
Redman, Roland E., Bedford, Ind., Baker. 
Reininga, William C, Ingelfield, Ind., Farmer, transferred 
to Co. D, 161st Ind., from Co. E, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 
1898. 
Ricketts, Clarence, Vevay, Ind., Farmer. 
Riley, David, Reddington, Ind., Farmer. 
Robinson, Riley, Seymour, Ind., Clerk. 

Ruth, Andy, Lawrenceville, 111., Farmer, transferred to Co. 
D, 161st Ind, from Co. A, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 
Scanlan, Charles J., Seymour, Ind., Clerk. 

Schwab, Frank, North Madison, Ind., Laborer. 

Shepherd, Harry B., Dupont, Ind., Clerk. 

Skinner, William A., Indianapolis, Ind., Clerk. 

Spannagel, Joseph, North Vernon, Ind., Farmer. 

Sthiar, Harry, Gosport, Ind., Laborer, transferred to Co. D, 
161st Ind., from Co. H, 159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 

St. John, Joseph, Hayden, Ind., Farmer. 

Strang, Morton O., North Vernon, Ind., Clerk. 

Strickland, Lafe, North Vernon, Ind., Teamster. 

Teepe, Ernest J., North Vernon, Ind., Student. 

Thompson, William E., Bedford, Ind., Raih-oader. 

Vandemore, Oris, North Vernon, Ind., Laborer. 

Vawter, John S., Madison, Ind., Laborer. 

Weed, Charles, Bedford, Ind., Laborer. 

Welch, Homer M., Seymour, Ind., Laborer. 

Whitaker, x\lbert L., Wilmore, Ky., Laborer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 343 

Wilson, Charles S.. Madison, Ind., Broomniaker. 

Whitaker, James K., Cloverdalc, Ind., Cutter, transferred to 

Co. b, IGlst Ind., from Co. II, ir)l)th Ind., Nov. 28, 

1898. 
Wray, Millard, Clear Spring, Ind., Farmer. 

DISCIIAKGHD. 

Gilbert, William B., Priv., Madison. Ind., Weaver, Aug. '21, 

1808. 
Euler, Nelson C. B., Priv., North Vernon, Ind., Painter, Sept. 

18, 1898. 
Groub, John C, Corp., Seymour, Ind., Clerk. Sept. 19, 1898. 
Barnes, Walter, Priv., Anderson, Ind., Tinsmith, Jan. 3,1899. 
Boeglin, Louis, Corp., Bryantsburg, Ind., Farmer, Jan. 12, 

1899. 
Lostetter, Rudolph, Priv., ISIadison, Ind., Spoke Grader, Jan. 

20, 1899. 
Ferris, William, Corp., Lancaster, Ind., ISIiller, Jan. 31, 1899. 
Hufl"ord, Raymond II., Corp., Cartersburg, Ind., Farmer, 

March 15, 1899. 
Jackson, ^Nlathew, Priv., Seymour, Ind., Clerk, March 7, 

1899. 
Hawkins, John S., Priv., Ghent, Ky., Clerk, March 7, 1899. 
Myres, William, Priv., Madison, Ind., Laborer, March 21, 

1899. 

DEATHS. 

Sebree, John A., Priv., Ghent, Ky., Laborer, Oct. 14, 1898. 
Green, Frank M., Priv., North Vernon, Ind., vSteelworker, 

Nov. 8. 1898. 
Graham, Alonzo N., Priv., Lancaster, Ind., Farmer, Jan. 24, 

1899. 

TRANSFERUKn. 

Logan, Michael M., Corp., Bryantsburg, Ind., Iron Roller, 

Aug. 20, 1898, Hospital Corps. 
Renfroe, Marcus D., Corp., Canaan, Ind., Farmer, ^Vug. 20, 

1898, Hospital Corps. 



344 HISTORV OF THE 

Dale, Wesley, Priv., North Vernon, Ind., Farmer, Aug. 20, 

1898, Hospital Corps. 
AVhite, Harry K., 1st. Serg't, Dalton, X. Y., Traveling 

Salesman, Sept. 8, 1898, U. S. Vol. Signal Corps. 



THIRD BATTALION 

O, (3, t^j L-'* 




Maj(jk Lee M. Olds. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 34/ 

LEE M. OLDS. 

Major Lee M. Olds, one of the youngest majors in the 
vohinteer service, is the son of Judge Olds, of Chicago, a 
former chief justice of the supreme court of the state of 
Indiana, and who was a Union soldier in the Civil war. 
Major Olds boasts a remarkable ancestry of volunteer 
soldiers who did good service in the colonial wars, in the 
war of Revolution and of 1812, as well as the late rebellion. 

He was born at Columbia City, Indiana, October 
2 1, 1874. He spent a few years at Wabash College, and 
then entered the Michigan Military Academy at Orchard 
Lake, from which institution he graduated in 1893. Im- 
mediately upon graduation he entered the Northwestern 
University, where he took a course in the classics, and 
later a thorough course in the law department of that 
university. He was president of the Chicago Law Students' 
Association, an organization of twenty-four hundred students 
of all law schools of the city. After completing his studies 
he practiced his profession simultaneously in Chicago and 
Hammond in the firm of Olds & Griffin, of which his father 
is senior partner. 

Major Olds entered the service as captain of a com- 
pany from Hammond, and by his military aptitude and 
hard practice brought his men to the enviable position of 
Company A. On September 9, 1898, Colonel Uurbin 
commanding the brigade. Captain Olds was in command 
for months of the First Battalion, and upon the resignation 
of Major Peterson was appointed by Governor Mount to 
the majorship of the Third Battalion. His commission 
was presented by Colonel Durbin at regimental parade 
December i, 1898, and on the evening of the same day the 
young officer was mustered as major by Major Longstreet. 



348 HISTORY OF THE 

Major Olds is a born soldier and commander; his 
appearance is commanding and his .voice military to a 
finish. The young officer has borne his honors well. 



COMPANY C. 



THOMAS J. HUDGINS. 

Captain Thomas J. Hudgins was born in Franklin 
-county, Tennessee, October 22, 1859. His parents moved 
to Indiana in 1867. He attended school at Morristown 
Seminary, Morristown, Indiana; accepted a position with 
C, H. & D. R. R. in 1878, then to P., C, C. & St. L. 
R. R. in 1880, remaining with the Pennsylvania Company 
until 1884, then accepting a position with Big Four Railroad 
at Indianapolis; accepted position as general agent of the 
Big Four at Shelbyville, Indiana, November 14, 1888, and 
at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war organized a 
company at Shelbyville, Indiana, and tried to get the com- 
pany accepted for first call for volunteers. The Big Four 
railroad granted Captain Hudgins two years' leave of absence 
and on his return his old position or a better one will be 
given him. Captain Hudgins, being the senior captain of the 
Third Battalion, was in command of the battalion the 
greater part of the time from August 14 to November 30, 
1898. Captain Hudgins was married in 1882, and has one 
child, Leslie P. Hudgins. 

The Captain's parents live at Morristown, Indiana, 
and his only brother, Robert H. Hudgins, Jr., was quarter- 
master sergeant for Company C. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-I-IKST INDIANA. 



349 




Captain Thomas J. Hudgins. 



GEORGE E. GOODRICH. 

George E. Goodrich, first lieutenant, Company C, One 
Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, was 
born in Brandywine township. Shelby county, Indiana, at 
the old family homestead. April 6, 1872. He moved ta 
Shelbyville with his parents in 1880. His forefathers orig- 
inally came from Scotland, and knew the hardships of pio- 
neer days in the states. His grandfather, George Good- 



350 



HISTORY OF THE 



rich, for whom he was named, was a veteran of the Mexi- 
can war. Three uncles also served in the Union army 
in the Civil war, one being killed in the battle of Peach 
Tree Creek. The surviving two are now residents of Shel- 
byville and Shelby county. On graduating from school, 




Fn^sT Lieutenant George E. Goodrich. 

Lieutenant Goodrich assumed the management of Bless- 
ing's opera house, the only theater in Shelbyville, but 
resigned from the management near the close of his second 
successful season, in January, 1894, to accept a position 
on the reportorial staff of the Shelbyville Daily Democrat, 
edited by the late W. Scott Ray, one of the best known 
Indiana editors of his day. The position had been vacated 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-l'lRST INDIANA. 35 I 

by Edward A. Major, appointed postmaster of Shelbyville 
during President Cleveland's second tenure in office. Dur- 
ing Lieutenant Goodrich's connection with the Democrat 
he served three years in the Indiana National Guard as 
first sergeant of Company K, Second Regiment, commanded 
by Colonel Ross. He continued with the Democrat until 
the second call for volunteers to serve in the Spanish- 
American war was made by President McKinley, in May, 
1898, when he secured a leave of absence from his duties 
the follovving month to enlist in the company then being 
recruited at Shelbyville, and departed with the company 
for Camp Mount, July 2. Having been previously elected 
first lieutenant by the members of the company, he was 
mustered into the service as such on July 11, 1898, and 
commissioned by Governor Mount on July 20, 1898, and 
appointed adjutant of the Third Battalion by a regimental 
order a few days later. Lieutenant Goodrich is a member 
of Kiowa Tribe, No. 199, I. O. R. M., of Shelbyville. 



IVY LESTER REYNOLDS. 

Second Lieutenant Ivy Lester Reynolds was born in 
Franklin, Johnson county, Indiana, September 18, 1876, 
and in 1881 removed to Shelbyville. Indiana, with his 
parents He was educated in the public schools of Shel- 
byville, at the age of fourteen entered the employment of 
the Shelby Printing Company as carrier and collector, and 
later attached himself to C. Steinhauser, watchmaker and 
jeweler, at Shelbyville, to learn the art of watchmaking. 
Serving three and a half years there, he went to Indianap- 
olis to complete his trade with Dyer & Matsumoto, manu- 
facturing jewelers, and later with Ikko Matsumoto, which 
position he filled much to the satisfaction of his employer, 



62 



HISTORY OF THE 



until in the fall of 1897, when he opened a shop at No. 49 
Public Square, Shelbyville, and was favored with much 
success, closing up the business to enlist with the company 
under Captain Hudgins. 

Under direction of Captain Clayton, Ivy Lester Rey- 




Second Lieutenant Ivy Lester Reynolds. 

nolds captained a company of boys brigade at the Christian 
church of Shelbyville, a few years later enlisted in Com- 
pany K. of the Indiana National Guard, under Captain J. 
R. Clayton, serving two years of his enlistment, when, on 
going to Indianapolis, was transferred to Company A, Sec- 
ond Regiment Indiana National Guard, Captain H. C. 
Castor, in which company he rapidly received promotion 
from the rank of lance-corporal to second lieutenant in 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 3153 

twenty-three months. Durinp^ the service with Company 
A he participated in several prize drills at Indianapolis at 
the state fair gounds. Upon returning to Shelbyville, in 
1897, he organized, drilled and uniformed the Rex 
Zouaves, a company which became very proficient in 
fancy military drills and was always a public favorite. He 
also commanded Company C a number of weeks at Jack- 
sonville and Savannah during the time when Captain Hud- 
gins commanded the Third Battalion in the absence of 
Major M. R. Peterson. 

Upon arriving in Cuba Mr. Reynolds, with St. C. A. 
Jackson, was called to General Ludlow's staff and assigned 
to the police department as military instructor and inspector 
of police of the city of Havana, they receiving many high 
compliments as a result of diligent work. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY C. 

The trials, tribulations and vicissitudes attendant upon 
the organization and acceptance of Company C into the 
service were many and varied. To begin with. Captain 
Hudgins, an ardent supporter of the project then actively 
engaged in the political affairs of Shelbyville, was compelled 
to meet the accusation of a local newspaper of opposite 
political proclivities to the effect that the project was a 
political intrigue to induce certain voters to accompany him 
(Captain Hudgins) to some point not \et decided upon, and 
by keeping them out of the city until after election day, 
thus occasion them the loss of their votes. Nothing daunted' 
by the assertion thus made, the captain persisted in his 
work of recruiting the company; an interesting feature of 
the final organization, being that one of his accusers, then on 
the reportorial staff of the paper in question, was not only 

23 



354 HISTORY OF THE 

won over to the captain's way of thinking but afterwards 
became one of the active supporters of the project and 
eventually a commissioned officer in the company. The 
first meeting relative to the proposed organization was held 
in the city council chamber. 

Early in April, 1898, other meetings followed, with 
the result that when the first call for volunteers was made, 
later in the month, its services were offered in response. 
Not discouraged at its failure to be accepted, new quarters 
were sought in the armory of the old militia company, in 
the service of the Indiana National Guard, from April, 
1894, to April, 1897, and drills vigorously continued. Not 
until after the second call for volunteers was made by 
direction of President McKinley, during the latter part ol 
May, were the officers of the company formally elected by 
the members of the organization, although it was generally 
understood who they were to be. Renewed interest was 
now taken in the drills, which occurred nightly. Then 
came the crushing information that no new regiments 
would be mustered into the service, but that the additional 
volunteers, designated in the call for seventy-five thousand 
troops, would be used to recruit the regiments already in 
the field up to the full war strength, one hundred and six 
enlisted men. For a time the fate of the company wab- 
bled in a balance, due to the " desertion " of a large num- 
ber of recruits of the company to the organizations of the 
various branches of the service then in the field. This but 
served to strengthen the determination of those who "stuck 
to the old ship." To recruit the organization to its former 
strength with the result that when another regiment became 
an assured fact and the preliminary examination of the 
men was begun by Dr. J. W. Bowlby, designated by the 
governor to perform the duties, the influx of recruits was 
so great that for a few days it was necessary to provide 







■^ 4^■^:- 






i-^^t' -^'^■:^ 



■t^ 



%p'*»-*' 



li > 




356 HISTORY OF THE 

for their maintenance by goin^ into camp at the fair grounds 
of the Shelby County Joint Stock Agricultural Association. 
To this project the citizens of Shelbyville responded most 
liberally in the donation of supplies, and a handsome cash 
balance was given the company, the net proceeds of a fes- 
tival and bazar given under the supervision of about thirty 
of Shelbyville's best known young ladies. This was fol- 
lowed by a reception tendered the company by the Epworth 
League of the First Methodist Episcopal church, of Shel- 
byville, in the parlors of that edifice. A deplorable acci- 
dent occurred just following the receipt of the information 
that the services of the company would be accepted. It 
having been agreed upon that Strong's Light Artillery, an 
organization within the Sons of Veteran's Encampment, of 
Shelbyville, should be the first to herald the information, 
on the day of its receipt they repaired to a spot just 
beyond the city limits, and while engaged in firing a speci- 
fied number of volleys a premature discharge of their 
piece, an old cannon used in the Civil war, resulted in the 
loss of an arm to Warren Haehl and a mutilated hand to 
Wilber Smith, members of the battery. The departure of 
the company for Camp Mount, on July 2, was the occasion 
of a demonstration witnessed only in times of war, when 
home ties are broken and the pride of a household takes 
his departure from home and friends, probably never to 
return. The scene with its attendant incidents are best 
portrayed in the following clippmg from the Shelbyville 
Republican, of that date: 

' ' The company of which Thomas J. Hudgins is captain, 
George E. Goodrich, first lieutenant, and L L. Reynolds, 
second lieutenant, finished its recruiting last evening and 
this morning marched in from the fair ground. Mechanic 
street was decorated from Vine to Harrison and as the 
boys marched along the people cheered them along. Harri- 



o 

o 
2 



PI 
C 

C 



o 

o 



C 




358 HISTORY OF THE 

son street to the public square was decorated and the 
square and East Washington street to the station was 
almost a mass of flags. As the company neared the square 
they were met by the colored boys' "drum" corps. On the 
south side of the square the company was joined by the 
Grand Army of the Republic, the Strong Light Artillery 
and the Rex Zouaves, The column being formed with the 
Grand Army men at the post of honor, the Modern Wood- 
man band in the lead, the march was taken up to the sta- 
tion. Washington street was simply a mass of people, the 
boys being given an ovation they will never forget. War- 
ren Haehl, who lost his arm last week, was propped in bed 
and placed at the window so he could see the procession 
and as it passed it cheered and cheered and cheered. The 
recognition brought tears to the eyes of many. Two cars 
were on the side track in waiting, but the crush of people 
was so great that it was some minutes before the cars could 
be reached. When the doors were finally opened the 
soldier boys filed in and their friends after them. The 
jam was simply a crush. Women and strong men cried; 
mothers embraced their sons, sisters clung to their brothers 
and sweethearts made no attempt to check their tears. 
Hundreds and hundreds of people crowded along the cars 
to shake the hands of the boys and to give them a word of 
encouragement and advice. All this time the band was 
playing, the drums were beating and the Sons of Veterans 
were firing a salute. 

" As the train that was to carry the boys away entered 
the city, the factory whistles that had been blowing a 
perfect salvo during the morning, greeted the train with a 
welcome blast that was continued until the train was out of 
the city. After the usual stop at the station it required but 
a few minutes for the train to back down and take on the 
two extra cars. In another minute, the air being filled 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 359 

With cheers, the wavinoj of flags, handkerchiefs, the blasts 
of the whistles and the sound of musketry Shelbyville's 
first company in the war against Spain started for the front 
— a brave, gallant set of boys. " 

The company, together with its friend, Hon. Sidney 
Conger, arrived at Camp Mount shortly after ten o'clock, 
having been tendered an ovation at all the villages along 
the route, and were immediately quartered in barn H. In 
the physical examination that followed over one hundred 
and twenty men met the requirements, a sufficient number 
were retained to recruit the company to its full war 
strength, one hundred and six enlisted men; the remainder 
were transferred to other companies not having the required 
number of men. The company was mustered into the 
service on the eveniug of July ii, being among the first 
to be thus administered the oath of allegiance. A few 
days later the company was presented with a handsome 
flag by a delegation of ladies and gentlemen of the Ladies 
Relief Corps, an auxiliary of Dumont Post No. — , G. A. 
R., of Shelby ville, representing the citizens of that city. 
The presentation speech was made in the presence of the 
company by Mr. John Byers, a veteran of the Civil war, 
and was feelingly responded to by Captain Hudgins. The 
corp itself gave to each member of the company a comb, 
whisk broom, towels, etc. This was followed a few days 
later by the presentation of a copy of the New Testament 
to each of the officers and men by Rev. L. A, Gould, of 
the First Baptist church, representing the churches of Shel- 
byville. The company's departure for Jacksonville, Flor- 
ida, on August II, was made the occasion of a monster 
demonstration in Shelbyville by reason of the fact that the 
special trains conveying the regiment passed through the 
city via the Big Four route. 

It is safe to assert that three-fourths of the citizens of 



360 HISTORY OF THE 

Shelbyville, blocked the streets for squares in all directions, 
bands played, salutes were fired and other tokens of the 
high esteem in which the company is held were manifest. 
During the stay of the regiment at Camp Cuba Libre, 
Company C suffered considerably from the prevailing 
maladies, and many of the sick men were compelled to 
succumb and go to the hospital, a great many never to 
rejoin their command. Being left behind at the time of 
the removal of the regiment to Savannah, Georgia, they 
were scattered in the various hospitals throughout the 
country and recovering from their illness were mustered 
out of the service after the regiment was sent to Cuba. 
During the interval when the sickness at Camp Cuba Libre 
was most marked, the relatives and friends of the boys 
at home forwarded by express a large amount of palatable 
delicacies and nutritious food best suited for the use of the 
ailing. The removal of the troops to Camp Onward 
marked a gradual improvement in the health of the com- 
pany. This was also true of the period spent at Camp 
Columbia, Havana, when the general health was excellent. 
During its career in the service not a single death occurred 
in Company C, and during their entire stay in Cuba, with 
the exception of four or five days following their arrival, the 
company was on detached service as a special guard at 
General Lee's corps headquarters, and rejoined the regi- 
ment on its march to the docks to embark on the United 
States transport "Logan," homeward bound. 



COMPANY C ROSTER. 

Thomas J. Hudgins, Captain, Shelbyville, Ind. 
George E. Goodrich, 1st Lieut., Shelbyville, Ind. 
Ivy L. Reynolds, 2d Lieut., Shelbyville, Ind. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 361 

SERGEANTS. 

Maddox, Robert C, 1st. vSerjr't, Shelby ville, Iiul., Drug Clerk, 
discharged Nov. 10, 1S98. 

Parkison, Moses A., Shelbvville, Ind., Cabinetmaker, promo- 
ted to 1st Serg't Nov. 19, 1808. 

Hudgins. Robt. H., Jr., Q_. M. Serg't, Shelby ville, Ind., 
Telegrapher. 

Hopkins, John S., Hariford, Maryland, Painter. 

Ballard. Walter B., Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 

Miles, Con L., Shelbyville. Ind., Furnisher, discharged March 
81, 1800. 

Dickman, Joseph, Shelbyville, Ind., Upholsterer, promoted 
from Corp. to Serg't Dec. 3, 1808, discharged Janu- 
ary 27, 1809. 

Alexander, Earl, Indianapolis, Ind., Pressman, promoted 
Serg't from Corp. Feb. 7, 1800. 

Wilson, Major, Shelbyville,' Ind., Clerk, promoted Serg't 
from Corp. April 5, 1890. 

CORPORALS. 

Kuntz, Mathias, Shelbyville, Ind., Harnessmaker. 

Vanarsdall, Elmer, vShelbyville, Ind., Farmer, promoted to 
Corp. Jan. 25, 1899. 

Davis, Edwin F., Workland, Ind., Stationary Engineer. 

Ray, John T., Hope, Ind., Farmer. 

Matthews, James G., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged 
Dec. '22, 1899. 

Vanpelt, Downey, Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 

Dale, George H., Jamestown, Ind. , School Teacher, promoted 
to corporal Feb. 7, 1899. 

Goodrich, Charles, Shelbyville, Ind., Painter, promoted to 
Corporal Feb. 12, 1899. 

King, William F. , Shelbyville, Ind., Cabinetmaker, ap- 
pointed Corporal October 81, 1898. 

Law, Eugene E., Shelbyville, Ind., Welldriller, promoted 
to Corp. Aug. 1, 1898. 



362 HISTORY OF THE 

Leffler, Fay, Shelbyville, Ind., Upfitter, appointed Corp. Dec. 

3, 1898. 
Oaks, Bert, Edinburg, Ind., Finisher, appointed Corp. Dec. 

8, 1898. 

Roemerman, Chris., Shelbyville, Ind., Factory Hand, pro- 
moted to Corp. Aug. 8, 1898, Jan. 14, 1899. 

Wiles, Miller, Shelbyville, Ind., Varnisher, promoted to 
Corp. April 5, 1899. 

MUSICIANS. 

Michelsen, William A., Shelbyville, Ind., Barber. 

ARTIFICER. 

Moore, Wiley F., Shelbyville, Ind., Blacksmith, transferred 
from Artificer to Musician, Aug. 8, 1898. 

WAGONKR. 

Cummins, Walter, Indianapolis, Ind., Fireman, discharged 
Nov. 4, 1898. 

PRIVATES. 

Beard, Otto, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged Feb. 6, 
1899. 

Bounsall, William H., Unionville, N. Y., Painter, dis- 
charged Jan. 80, 1899. 

Byers, John, Shelb^'ville, Ind., Polisher. 

Carson, Arthur, Shelbyville, Ind., Painter, assigned company 
cook Feb. 21 ; 1899, relieved as cook April 10, 1899. 

Chesser, Marshall, Winterowd, Ind., Carpenter, made artif- 
icer Aug. 8, 1898. 

Chueden, Albert, Shelbyville, Ind., Painter, reduced to ranks 
Aug. 8, 1898. 

Clark, Harry, Indianapolis, Ind., Barber. 

Collins, William, Shelbyville, Ind., Machinist, discharged 
Jan. 26, 1899. 

Comstock, John, Shelbyville, Ind., Plasterer. 

Cooper, John, Shelbyville, Ind., Metalworker, assigned com- 
pany cook April 10, 1899. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 363 

Cosier, Curtis, Shelbyville, Ind., Bicycle Polisher, discharged 

Feb. 6, 1899. 
Cutsinger, Henry, Shelbyville, Ind., Engineer. 
Dale, August M., Jamestown, Ind., Farmer. 
Davis, Larue, Shelbyville, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 
Dickman, John, Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 
Didlein, Herman A., Indianapolis, Ind., Bookkeeper. 
Ditsch, Frank, Indianapolis, Ind., Textile Worker. 
Ebner, Edw^ard, Indianapolis, Ind., Varnishmaker. 
Ellis, Fred, Anderson, Ind., Lather, appointed Wagoner Oct. 

31, 1898. 
Evans, John, Shelbyville, Ind., Painter, discharged Feb. 15, 

1899. 
Feaster, Ora, Shelbyville, Ind., Bandsawyer. 
Feaster, Wilber, Shelbyville, Ind., Machine hand. 
George, Horace, Indianapolis, Ind., Plumber. 
Gregg, Charles E., Indianapolis, Ind., Waiter, deserted Sept. 

10, 1898, discharged without honor Nov. 4, 1898. 
Hietand, John F., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 
Hendrickson, True, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Feb. 27, 1899. 
Hilt, Henry, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 
Itce, John, Shelbyville, Ind., Gardener. 
Johnson, Camden A., Oakland, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Jan. 11, 1899. 
Johnson, George S., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 
JoUiff, Finley, Flatrock, Ind., Farmer. 
Kelly, Austin U., Indianapolis, Ind., Waiter. 
Lane, Harry, Shelbyville, Ind., Finisher. 
Law, George, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged Jan. 14, 

1899. 
Louden, Charles A., Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 
Ludwig, John M., Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 
Madden, Charles H., Indianapolis, Ind., Bookkeeper, dis- 
charged March 21, 1899. 
Mitchell, Charles, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 



364 HISTORY OF THE 

Mott, Charles G., Shelbyville, Ind., Laborer, deserted Oct. 

16, 1898. 
Morris, Leroy, Shelbyville, Ind., Painter, discharged Jan. 25, 

1899. 
Omsted, Edward, Edinburg, Ind., Laborer. 
Osborn, William, Mount Vernon, Ind., Wood Turner. 
Pariish, George W., Shelbyville, Ind., Hardwood Finisher. 
Perkins, Omer E., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 
Perry, Andrew J., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged Feb. 

2, 1899. 
Perry, Howard, Lawrence, Ind., Teamster. 
Palmer, Marshall, Fairland, Ind., Farmer, discharged March 

20, 1899. 
Prosser, Ora, Indianapolis. Ind., Laborer. 
Price, Ira J., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 
Roberts, William, Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk, discharged May 

4, 1899. 
Roth, Robert, Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk. 
Runyon, James, Shelbyville, Ind., Laborer. 
Rupert, Frank, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 
Stittsworth, Ora, Louisville, Ind., Farmer. 
Schacherer, Louis, Shelbyville, Ind., Factory Hand. 
Schumaker, William, Sunman, Ind., Merchant. 
Shipley, George, Indianapolis, Ind., Painter. 
Simms, Thomas, Shelbyville, Ind., Teamster. 
Sieg, John, Flatrock, Ind., Farmer, deesrted Dec. 10, 1898. 
Sims, Everet, Indianapolis, Ind., Tinner. 
Smith, John A., Shelbyville, Ind., Laborer. 
Spice, Arthur, Huntington, Ind., Glassworker. 
Southern, Harry J., Indianapolis, Ind., Moulder, deserted 
Sept. 8, 1898, discharged without honor Nov. 21, 1898. 
Steely, John, Indianapolis, Ind., Machinist, discharged Aug. 

19, 1898. 
Titus, Joseph R., Winterowd, Ind., Carpenter, discharged 

at Winterowd, Ind., March 1, 1899. 
Towns, Arthur, Shelbyville, Ind., Mechanic. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 365 

Vaught, Fred, Shelbyville, Ind., Mechanic, discharged Sept. 
29, 1898. 

Wheeler, Jerry, Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer. 

Westertield, Commodore, Man ilia, Ind., Engineer. 

Wiles, Robert, Jr., Shelbyville, Ind., Finisher. 

Wilson, William W., Shelbyville, Ind., Cabinetmaker, dis- 
charged Feb. 17, 1899. 

Williams, James A., Shelbyville, Ind., Farmer, discharged 
March 16, 1899. 

Winterowd, Floyd, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 

Woods, George, Smithland, Ind., Farmer. 

Worland, Frank, Shelbyville, Ind., Gardener. 

Worland, Maurice, Shelbyville, Ind., Plumber. 

Wycoff, Oscar, Edinburg, Ind., Laborer. 

Youngman, Leon E., Shelbyville, Ind., Carpenter. 

LATER ENLISTMENTS. 

Molder, William, Shelbyville, Ind., Furnituremaker, enlisted 

Aug. 9, 1898. 
Vanpelt, George W., Shelbyville, Ind., Clerk, enlisted Aug. 

10, 1898. 
Kloer, Arthur, Terre Haute, Ind., Clerk, enlisted Dec. 9, 1898. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Hamm, Michael, Vincennes, Ind., Butcher, transferred from 

Co. A, 159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Kopp, John G., Evansville, Ind., Barber, transferred from Co. 

E, 159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Burke, John, Vincennes, Ind., Student, transferred from Co. 

L, 159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Dec. 1, 1898. 
McCrisaken, James, Vincennes, Ind., Butcher, transferred 

from Co. L, 159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Soden, Charles, Vincennes, Ind.. Laborer, transferred froni 

Co. L, 159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Coats, William T., Shelbyville, Ind., Student, transferred 

from Co. K, 161st Ind. Vol. Inf., Jan. 26, 1899. 



366 



HISTORY OF THE 



COMPANY G. 



ALBERT D. OGBORN. 

Captain Albert D. Ogborn was born on a farm in 
Wayne county, Indiana, in 1864, and spent the first eight- 
een years of his Hfe there. He was educated in the com- 
mon schools, graduating therefrom at thirteen. In Janu- 
ary, 1883, he removed to Newcastle and worked for a firm 




Captain Albert D. Ogborn. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 367 

dealing in farm implements and later for a dealer in shoes. 
During this time he educated himself as a stenographer. 
In November, 1887, he was appointed storekeeper of the 
Northern Indiana Hospital for Insane at Logansport. He 
gave up this position in April. 1889, to accept that of offi- 
cial shorthand reporter for the judicial circuit in which he 
resides. While a court reporter he found time to study 
law. He was admitted to the bar in 1894, and is now 
practicing law in connection with court reporting. He has 
been deeply interested in military affairs from boyhood, and 
for ten years before entering the army was an enthusiastic 
worker in the Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias. He is 
colonel of the Third Indiana Regiment in this organization, 
having been granted an unlimited leave of absence to enter 
the army. Captain Ogborn is unmarried. 



JAMES I. MEYERS. 

First Lieutenant James I. Meyers first saw light in 
Wells county, Indiana, in September, 1864. He was edu- 
cated at the schools of the city of Bluffton. He learned 
the baker's trade and followed it for several years. In 
1887 he removed to Newcastle and was engaged in the res- 
taurant business there when he entered the army. He 
received the practical knowledge of things military pos- 
sessed by him when he enlisted, in the Uniform Rank, 
Knights of Pythias; and resigned the captaincy of Newcas- 
tle company in that organization when he became a sol- 
dier. He is married and has a fine family of three chil- 
dren. 



368 



HISTORY OF THE 




First Lieutenant James I. Meyers. 



CHARLES M. PITTMAN. 

Second Lieutenant Charles M. Pittman was born in 
Newcastle, in 1874, and was educated in the schools of 
that city, e;raduating from the high school in 1892. While- 
in school he was agent for a city newspaper, the daily edi- 
tion of which he delivered to his patrons. For a time 
after leaving school he was engaged with his father in the 
farm machinery business. Later he began the study of 
civil engineering and was engaged in the practice of that 
profession when he entered the army. He lives with his. 
parents and is unmarried. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 



369 




Second Lieutenant Charles M. Pittman. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY G. 

In the Civil war Henry county sent as many soldiers to 
the front as any county in Indiana in proportion to its pop- 
ulation; and one of them, the venerablcf. William Grose, 
came back a major-general. The bravery and patriotism 
of these men, proven on a hundred battlefields, descended to 
their sons. When the Spanish students tore down the 
American flag in Barcelona in i895,(iCaptain Ogborn sent 
the following message to Governor Matthews: " If Spain 
insists upon being whipped, I desire a commission to raise 

24 




o 



c 

u 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 3/1 

a company in Henry county to help to do it." When the 
Maine was destroyed he again tendered his services to Indi- 
ana's governor, believing that war was inevitable. Before 
the formal declaration of war and afterwards he begged the 
governor to accept his services in any capacity in which 
they might be thought useful. 

When the first call for volunteers was made many 
young men of Henry county went to Indianapolis and tried 
to get in the service, some of them succeeding; among them 
was Lieutenant Charles W. Pittman. Believing that a sec- 
ond call would be made, and that if it were, a company 
could get in from Henry county, Captain Ogborn and 
Lieutenant Myers began to organize a company in antici- 
pation thereof, and were afterward joined by Lieutenant 
Pittman. One hundred and thirty names were enrolled, a 
majority from Newcastle, the remainder all from Henry 
county; drilling was kept up in the face of long delay, and 
the quiet opposition of the " Peace at any price " ele- 
ment. Young men who drilled faithfully were sneered at 
by apron string slaves, too lazy and too cowardly to enlist 
or drill. The turning point was reached one night in June, 
when the ears of a small band of the faithful who were 
drilling in the street were greeted by the " Rogues March " 
whistled by some one in a barber shop; the squad was 
wheeled and lined up along the sidewalk, and a demand 
made for the offender. He finally admitted his identity; 
and was warned that it would not be safe for him or any 
other person to ridicule any one who had enlisted in the 
company. From that hour the tide was with the vol- 
unteers. 

When the company was finally ordered to appear for 
their preliminary examination, to their shame be it said, 
over thirty of the men enlisted showed the white feather; 
ten of the remainder, including some of the best fellows 




o 

>< 
< 

3 
O 
U 



Z 
< 

o 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 373 

alive, were rejected, some other good men yielded to the 
entreaties of their families and withdrew. In this emer- 
gency the captain turned to Muncie, from where an eloquent 
appeal for opportunity to enlist had come from First Ser- 
geant Fred W. Puckett. He and about thirty other Dela- 
ware county men, including as good soldiers as ever wore 
the blue, were finally accepted and have done much to 
make the fine record of the company what it is. When the 
examinations begun, committees of patriotic citizens 
arranged for the entertainment of the men, and during the 
four days which elapsed before the company started for 
Indianapolis did everything possible to make them com- 
fortable. The examinations began at lo o'clock a. m. on 
June 27th, and ended at i p. m. on the 29th. The captain 
telephoned the governor that he had one hundred and nine 
men accepted by the local surgeon. 

On the morning of July ist, every business house in 
the city was closed and a great crowd gathered in the pub- 
lic square where patriotic speeches were made by leading 
citizens and some of the orators in the company. Each 
man was given a slight token of the friendship of the citi- 
zens of New Castle. A great procession, headed by a band 
and composed of the G. A. R. Post, Uniform Rank Knights 
of Pythias and hundreds of citizens, escorted the company 
to the station, and the train bearing it left the cityfollowed 
by the cheers of live thousand people who had assembled 
there. 

The sincere goodwill of the citizens of New Castle 
toward the company was further shown by their presenta- 
tion to each of the three officers of a handsome sword. 

The company was the fourth to arrive at Indianapolis 
and the first one ready to be mustered. It was mustered 
in on July 12, 1898. 




o 



o 

u 



o 

u 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 375 



COMPANY G ROSTER. 

Albert D. Ogborn, Captain, New Castle. 
James I. Meyers, 1st Lieutenant, New Castle. 
Charles M. Pitman, 2nd Lieutenant, New Car.tle. 

SERGEANTS. 

Puckett, Fred W., 1st Serg't., Muncie, Ind., Medical Student, 
mustered as private July 27, 1S98, appointed 1st Serg't 
Aug. 1, 1S98. 

Owens, Charles B., Franklin, Ind., Grocer. 

Engle, T. William, Indianapolis, Ind., Printer, transferred to 
Hospital Corps U. S. A , Aug. 20, 1898. 

Welsbacher, John, Meadville, Pa., Glass Blower. 

Martin, Albert O., Muncie, Ind., Dental Student, mustered 
as Corp. July 12, 1898, appointed Serg't Mar. 20, 1899. 

Eilar, Benjamin W., Newcastle, Ind., Bridge Builder, ap- 
pointed Corp. Dec. 20, 1898, appointed Serg't Feb. 17, 
1899. 

Luther, E. Murray, Q. ^^- Serg't., Blountsville. Ind., Clerk, 
mustered as Corp. July 13, 1898, appointed Q. ]SI. 
Serg't Dec. 22, 1899. 

CORPORALS. 

Keesling, Ray, Mechanicsberg, Ind., Clerk. 

McKimmey, Linley W., Muncie, Ind., Engineer. 

Elliott, George H., Me hanicsburg. Ind., Well Driller. 

Fadely, Joseph H., Honey Creek, Ind., Farmer. 

Gontner, Charles R., Muncie, Ind., Salesman. 

Baldwin, Ellwood L., Spiceland, Ind., Farmer. 

Nugent, Harry S., Kennard, Ind., Editor. 

Allen, Alonzo, Muncie, Ind., Bartender, transferred to Hospi- 
tal Corps, U. S. Army, Aug. 20, 1898. 

Goddard, Joseph, Middletown, Ind., Glass Blower, appointed 
Corp. Dec. 20, 1898. 

Gaddis, Max P., New Castle, Ind., Cook, appointed Corp. 
Dec. 29, 1898. 



3/6 HISTORY OF THE 

Shellenbarger, Charles, Mancie, Ind., Laborer, appointed 

Corp. Feb. 17, 1899. 
Robinson, Elmer, Franklin, Ind., Laborer, appointed Corp. 

Mar. 20, 1899. 
Baxley, Robert F., Princeton, Ind., Laborer, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I., Dec. 1, 189S, and appointed Corp. 

Dec. 29, 1898. 

MUSICIANS. 

VanDyke, Henry W., Lewisville, Ind. , Blacksmith, discharged 

Mar. 17, 1S99. 
Beeson, Edward, Dalton, Ind., Farmer. 

ARTIFICER. 

Hutchens, Huston, New Castle, Ind., Mechanic. 

WAGONER. 

Livezey, Oscar, Newcastle, Ind., Farmer. 

COOK. 

Snider, Daniel Vorhees, Muncie, Ind.. appointed Company 
Cook Oct. 10, 1898. 

PRIVATES. 

Akers, Joseph,Middletown, Ind. ,Glassblower, discharged Feb. 

6, 1899. 
Barnett, Guy, Newcastle, Ind., Plasterer. 
Barnes, Henry, Muncie, Ind., Finisher. 
Bock, Claud, Newcastle, Ind., Laborer. 
Brown, Roy W., Newcastle, Ind., Drum Major, transferred 

to band Aug. 27, 1898. 
Buckley, Guy, Newcastle, Ind., Laborer. 
Canaday, James, Newcastle, Ind., Laborer. 
Cecil, Fred P., Muncie, Ind., Student. 
Darling, Alva, Spiceland, Ind., Farmer. 
Darnell, Harry C, Indianapolis, Ind., Student. 
Davenport, Frank N., Newcastle, Ind.. Painter. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 3/7 

Detrich, George Carlos, Miincie, lad, B )ttler, discharcred 

Sept. 28, 1898. 
Dolan, John, Cambridge City, Ind., Fireman, transferred to 

Hospital Corps, U. S. Army, Aug. 20. 1898. 
Faulkner, Henry, Muncie, Ind., Laborer, discharged Jan. 13, 

1899. 
Filson, James Leroy, New Lisbon, Ind., Sawyer. 
Fisher, Frank W., Newcastle, Ind.. Ball Player. 
Frazee, Walker, Byers, Ohio, School Teacher. 
Freeman, Ferry, Muncie, Ind., Laborer. 
Freeland, Thomas, New Lisbon, Ind., Farmer. 
Foster, Frank, Spiceland, Ind., Farmer. 
Goodman, Bud, Muncie, Ind., Laborer. 
Hale, Frank, Springport, Ind., Farmer. 
Hale, Thomas T., Dublin, Ind., Farmer. 
Halfaker, Edgar B., Franklin, Ind., Blacksmith, discharged 

Aug. 22, 1898. 
Hamilton, Frank M., Newcastle, Ind., Dentist. 
Hamilton, Benton F., Greensboro, Ind., Clerk. 
Hanna, John W., Ft. Worth, Texas, Laborer. 
Harper, Charles, Indianapolis, Ind., Ironworker. 
Hickman, Herbert H., Springport, Ind., Farmer, discharged 

Mar. 13, 1899. 
Helton, Hoyt A., Indianapolis, Ind., Printer, discharged Jan. 

12, 1899. 
Huddleston, Arthur A., Dublin, Ind., Tinner. 
Irwin, George, New York City, N. Y., Broommaker. 
Israel, William G., Franklin, Ind., Farmer. 
Jackson, Solomon, Franklin, Ind., Laborer. 
Lamb, Oltie F., Dalton, Ind., Blacksmith. 
Lane, Fred, ]SIooreland, Ind., Farmer. 
Leech, J. Morris, F., Muncie. Ind., Decorator, transferred to 

Hosp. Corps Aug. 20, 1898. 
Leonard, John M., Muncie, Ind., Wheelworker. 
Leonard, Arthur, Muncie, Ind., Rougher. 
Lykens, Sebastian, Spiceland, Ind., Laborer. 
McCoy, Charles, Muncie. Ind., Bricklayer. 



378 HISTORY OF THE 

McCoy, Clarence, Muncie, Ind., Laborer, discharged Sept. 

27, 1S98. 
Martin, Henry C, jr., Muncie, Ind., Laborer, discharged 

Feb. 17, 1899. 
Martindale, George, Hagerstown, Ind.. Photographer. 
Miller, James W., New Castle, Ind., Clerk. 
Mitchell, Lemuel, Middletown, Tinplateworker. 
Morgan, Cliff, Greensburg, Ind., Farmer. 
Netz, Charles, Ashland., Ind., Farmer. 
Newby, Otis, Greensboro, Ind., Miller. 
New by, George W., Greensboro, Ind., Farmer. 
Nichols, Noah A., Honey Creek, Ind., Jockey. 
Paul, John J., Muncie, Ind., Glassworker. 
Pierson, Joseph M., Muncie, Ind., Laborer, discharged Dec. 

22, 1898. 
Prager, James M., Seattle, Wash., Prospector, transferred to 

Hosp. Corps, U. S. A , January 9, 1899. 
Rawlins, VVinfield, Byers, Ohio, Mining. 
Reece, Benjamin F., Muncie, Ind., Wheelworker, 
Rogers, Paul, Muncie, Ind., Hatter, mustered as 1st Serg't 

July 12, 1898, by his own request was reduced to ranks 

July 31, 1898. 
Rothbaust, Jesse, Franklin, Ind., Laborer, discharged Feb. 

8, 1899. 
Sears, Walton D., Spiceland, Ind., Laborer. 
Sherer, Albert, Muncie, Ind., Laborer. 
Shuce, Edward C, Muncie, Ind., Laborer. 
Swaim, Clarence T., Dublin, Ind., Clerk. 
Sweezy, John, Franklin, Ind., Laborer. 
Wahl, John, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 
Walden, Edgar Otis, Muncie, Ind., Glassworker. 
Wilmuth, Arthur, Kennard, Ind., Laborer. 
Wilson, John W., Muncie, Ind., Glassworker. 
Winnings, Mark, Ashland, Ind., Laborer. 
Winnings, Walter A., Ashland, Ind., Laborer, 
Wintersteen, Minor, New Castle, Ind., Farmer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 379 

Wolfe, Edwin, Mooreland, Iiul., Laborer, discharged Feb. 

10, 1899. 
Woods, Harry, Dublin, Ind., Farmer. 
Yates, Ira O., Middletown, Ind.. Laborer, discliarged March 

17, 1899. 

LATER ENLISTMENTS. 

Green, Oscar, Muncie, Ind., Machinist, mustered Aug. 8, 

1898. 
King, Fred C, Muncie, Ind., Carpenter, mustered Aug. 8, 

1898. 
Reynolds, Clyde B., Hagerstown, Ind., Farmer, mustered 

Aug. 8, 1898, discharged Jan. 19, 1899. 
Sheller, Charles, Muncie, Ind., Carpenter, mustered Aug. 8, 

1898. 
Sherman, William A., Middletown, Ind., Laborer, mustered 

Aug. 8, 1898. 
Armstrong, John L., Princeton, Ind., Farmer, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Hogue, Edward H., Princeton, Ind., Laborer, transferred 

from 159th 1. V. I., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Malone, Clarence A., Princeton, Ind. , Butcher, transferred 

from 159ih I. V. I., Dec. 1, 1898. 
Robinson, Floyd W., Larwell, Ind., Machinist, transferred 

from 159th I. V. L, Dec. 1, 1898. 
Newsum, Fred B., Patoka, Ind., Miner, transferred from 

159th I. V. I. Dec. 1, 1898. 
Turnage, George W., Princeton, Ind., Laborer, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I., Dec. 1, 1898; discharged Feb. 8, 

1899. 
Warren, Benjamin F., Evansville, Ind., Farmer, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I. Dec. 1, 1898. 
Wolfe, Walter G., Evansville, Ind., Blacksmith, transferred 

from 159th I. V. I. Dec. 1, 1898. 
Taylor, Eugene B., Carmi, 111., Mechanic, transferred from 

Regimental Band Dec. 22, 1898. 



38o 



HISTORY OF THE 



COMPANY H. 



JAMES M. GWINN. 

Captain James M. Gwinn was born at Burlington, 
Carroll county, Indiana, in 1847. He gave up completing 
his education to enter the Civil war, enlisting in July, 1863, 




Captain James M. Gwinn. 

as a private in the One Hundred and Sixteenth Indiana, 
from which he was discharged the March following. In 
December, 1864, he re-enlisted in the Forty-sixth Indiana, 
and was mustered out September 4, 1865. He partici- 
pated in five engagements during his term of service, the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 



381. 



principal ones of which were Bull's Gap, Tazewell and 
Walker's Ford. After the war he farmed for a time, but 
for the last twenty years has been engaged in the livery 
business at Rushville. 



HENRY B. PATTON. 

Henry B. Patton, first lieutenant Company H, was 
born near Spring Hill, Decatur county. Indiana. His 
youth was spent on the farm. At an early age he removed 
with his parents to Rush county, where he has since 




First Lieutenant Henry B. Patton. 



382 HISTORY OF THE 

resided. He attended the common schools near his home 
and afterward attended DePauw University, graduating 
with the class of '94. He served as deputy clerk of the 
Rush circuit court for three years, resigning his position to 
accept a commission as second lieutenant. When the 
regiment went to Camp Cuba Libre he was appointed 
aide-de-camp to General L. F. Hubbard, commanding 
Third Division, Seventh Army Corps, serving in that 
capacity until the division was abolished, pending General 
Hubbard's retirement, when he was returned to his com- 
pany. He was commissioned first lieutenant August 28, 
1898, vice John F. Joyce, resigned. 



GEORGE H. CALDWELL. 

George H. Caldwell, second lieutenant Company H, 
One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
is a native of Rushville, Indiana. His boyhood and early 
manhood were spent on a farm near that city. He was 
educated in the common schools and at the age of seven- 
teen was licensed as a teacher, which pursuit he followed 
for two years. At the expiration of that time and for ten 
years following he was employed as a clerk in a dry goods 
store at Rushville. For a number of years since that time 
he has acted as a traveling salesman in the same line. 
He enlisted in Company H as a private, but was appointed 
first sergeant at the final organization at Indianapolis. On 
August 28th he was commissioned second lieutenant by 
the governor of Indiana to fill a vacancy caused by the 
resignation of Lieutenant Joyce. He is a Republican in 
politics and a member of Ivy Lodge No. 27, Knights of 
Pythias. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 383 




Second Lieutenant, George H. Caldwell. 



COMPANY H HISTORY. 

Company H was organized at Rushville by Captain 
Gwinn and Lieutenant Joyce, who had each previously 
raised companies and tried to secure recognition on the 
first call for volunteers. Realizing that it would be neces- 
sary to combine their forces in order to secure recognition, 
the companies were united, Lieutenant Joyce agreeing to 
accept second place in consideration of Captain Gwinn's 
previous service. 

The company at once began drilling, and having been 






•■ {.■■■ 












M 



K 



2 
< 

P-. 

C 

U 



V*/<«! 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 385 

assured of a place in the new regiment to be organized, it 
went into camp at the fair grounds on June 20th, remain- 
ing there ten days until ordered to Camp Mount, being the 
first one to arrive there. It was mustered into the 
service on July 12, 1898, It is composed principally of 
Rush county men, although quite a number of other coun- 
ties throughout the state are represented, the principal one 
being Fayette. 



COMPANY H ROSTER. 

GwiNN, James M., Captain — Rushville, Ind.j'^Liveryman. 
Joyce, John F,, 1st Lieutenant — Rushville, Ind., Lawyer; 

resigned; resignation accepted Aug. 30, 1898, at 

Jacksonville, Fla., ill health. 
Patton, Henry B., 1st Lieutenant — Richland, Ind,, Clerk, 

promoted from 2d Lieutenant Sept. 8, 1898. 
Caldwell, George H., 2d Lieutenant, Rushville, Ind., 

Farmer, promoted from 1st Sergeant Sept. 10, 1898. 

sergeants. 

Caldwell, Joseph J., Rushville, Ind., Watchman. 

Comstock, Charles E., Lyons, Iowa, Druggist. 

Hunt, Geston P., Orange P. O., Clerk. 

Wolfe, Charles E., Rushville, Ind., Musician. 

Stiers, Edgar, Richland, Ind., School Teacher. 

Ailes, Jesse W., Stipps Hill, Ind., Farmer, promoted to Corp. 

Aug. 23, 1898, promoted to Serg't Dec. 81, 1898. 
Beale, Fred R., Rushville, Ind., Tailor, promoted to Corp. 

Dec. 27, 1898, promoted to Serg't Jan. 4, 1899. 

corporals. 

Felts, Jacob D., Rushville, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 

Gross, Fred, Manilla, Ind., Clerk. 

Wertz, Harrison E., Arlington, Ind., Farmer. 

Johnson, Riley, Richland, Ind., Farmer. 
25 




X 



7^ 

< 

o 
U 



< 

W 
CD 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 387 

Innis, John W., Rushville, Ind., Aeronaut, transferred to U. 

S. Vol. Signal Corps Dec. 1, 1898, per order Adju- 
tant General's office 
Alexander, Fred., Rushville, Ind. , Telegrapher, promoted to 

Corp. Dec. 27, 1898. 
Caldwell, Robert G,, Rushville, Ind., Student, promoted to 

Corp. Jan. 2(3, 1899. 
Gardner, William E., Rushville, Ind., Farmer, promoted to 

Corp. Aug. 16, 1898. 
Gilson, James, Rushville, Ind., Laborer, promoted to Corp. 

Jan. 26, 1899. 
Hall, Harry H., Connersville, Ind., Clothing Clerk, promoted 

to Corp. Oct. 1, 1898. 
Harry,* Vernie, Richland, Ind., Farmer, promoted to Corp. 

Aug. 23, 1898. 
McCoy, Michael P., Rushville, Ind, Turner, promoted to 

Corp. Dec. 27, 1898. 
Pearsey, Chase, Rushville, Ind., Heading Worker, promoted 

to Corp. Dec. 27, 1898. 
Vieke, Edward C, Corporal, Vincennes, Ind., Cigarmaker, 

promoted to Corp. Dec. 27, 1898, transferrrd from 

159th Ind. Vol. Inf., Nov. 23, 1898. 

MUSICIANS. 

Hufifman, Edward, Rushville, Ind., Musician, transferred to 

to 161st Reg. Band Aug. 23, 1898. 
Middleton, Basil, Connersville, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 
Jameson, Jesse K., Rushville, Ind., Blacksmith. 

WAGONER. 

Miller, Charles, Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 

PRIVATES. 

Adams, James F., Rushville, Ind., Cook. 

Allenthorp, Ira, Arlington, Ind., Student, transferred to 161st 

Reg. Band Aug. 23, 1898, transferred back to Co. Dec. 

22, 1898. 




u 



< 

Oi 

c 
U 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 389 

Armstrong, John li., Rushville, Ind., Artist. 
Armstrong, Joseph A., Jr., Rushville, Ind., Telegrapher, 
transferred to U. S. Vol. Signal Corps Sept. 8, 1898, 
per order Adjutant General's office. 
Baylor, Frank C, Rushville, Ind., Clerk. 
Baker, Arthur, Rushville, Ind., Laborer, 
Ball, William H., Rushville, Ind., Machinist. 
Bartlett, Orville, Rushville, Ind., Tinner. 
Boling, George W., Rushville, Ind., Printer. 
Bowne, Owen O., Rushville, Ind., Table Waiter, discharged 
by order Maj.-Gen. Lee, Sept. 27, 1898, for disability. 
Brown, Leslie B., Richland, Ind., Farmer. 
Burdock, Harry, 76 Clarkson St., New York City, N. Y., 

Mechanic. 
Cassady, Rue, Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 
Cauley, Anthony B., Rushville, Ind., Machinist. 
Davis, Harry W., Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 
Devers, Bert L., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 
Emmons, Harrie E., Rushville, Ind., Horseman. 
Fox, Bert, x\rlington, Ind., Painter, discharged by order 

Maj.-Gen. Lee Feb. 10, 1899, for disability. 
Francis, Fred. C, 68 Blaine ave.. West Indianapolis, Ind., 

Tinner. 
Gable, Clyde C, Indianapolis, Ind., Bedmaker, died in Ft. 
McPherson, Ga., Hospital, Nov. 8, 1898, of typhoid 
fever, body interred at Union City, Ind. 
Geiger, Ira E., Rushville, Ind., Printer. 
Glass, John, Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 
Glisson, Will, Connersville, Ind., Painter. 
Graves, Fred, Thorntown, Ind., Student. 
Greenlee, Earl, Rushville, Ind, 
Guire, Jesse W., Rushville, Ind., Drayman. 
Hambrock, Charles E., Manilla, Ind., Farmer. 
Hatfield, John W., Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 
Heaton, Clarence, Muncie, Ind., Laborer, transferred to 3rd 

Div. Ho'spital Corp, Aug. 20, 1898. 
Hilligoss, Oscar R., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 



390 HISTORY OF THE 

Hoffner, Charles vS., Connersville, Ind., Painter. 

Holder, George, Connersville, Ind., Woodcarver. 

Jester, Cheniah F., Rushville, Ind., Sawyer. 

Jones, George B., Rushville, Ind,, Physician, appointed Hos- 
pital Steward Sept. 10, 1898. 

Kenner, Ralph H., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 

Kling worth, William, Rushville, Ind., Painter. 

Lindsay, Charles F., Price Hill, 3789 Warsaw ave., Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, Painter. 

Lohrman. Walter, Indianapolis, Ind., Cabinetmaker. 

Levi, Harry C, Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 

McClain, Clinton, Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 

McCrory, Fred, Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 

Marvin, Buford, Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 

Mathews, Charles M., Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 

Miller, Clint M., Arlington, Ind., Barber. 

Mitchell, William T., Rushville, Ind., Drop-forger. 

Moore, Thomas C, Rushville, Ind., Veneer Layer. 

Mootz, Fredric, 1517 S. Reisner St., West Indianapolis, 
Ind., Baker. 

Morford, Irwin, Anderson, Ind., Farmer. 

Myers, Will, Connersville, Ind., Machinist. 

Newbor, Charles A., Clarksburg, Ind., Horseman. 

Newman, William G., Rushville, Ind., Poultry Dresser. 

Norris, Frank, Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 

O'Day, James, Rushville, Ind., Painter. 

Owsley, Carl W., Thorntown, Ind., Student. 

Palmes, Ira H., Rushville, Ind., Electrician. 

Parker, Ralph C, 880 Broadway, Indianapolis, Ind., Student, 
discharged Sept. 21, 1898, for disability, by order Sec- 
retary of War. 

Perkins, Greely, Rushville, Ind., Tinner. 

Perkins, Jesse F., Rushville, Ind., Laborer, discharged April 
21, 1899. 

Phillips, Joseph, Rushville, Ind., Machinist. 

Plummer, George A., Connersville, Ind., Carriage Trimmer. 
Pollett, Edward, Arlington, Ind., Laborer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 39 1 

Ragan, Ernest L., Connersville, Ind., Painter, discharged 

Sept. 27, 1898, for disability by order of Major-General 

Lee. 
Robertson, ^Villiam II., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 
Rucker, Henry V, , Arlington, [Ind., Farmer, transferred to 

Regimental Band Sept. 8, 1898. 
Runk, Jacob J., Rushville, Ind., Stone Cutter. 
Seibel, Henry, Hamburg, Ind., Farmer. 
Shields, Robert H., Rushville, Ind., Farmer. 
Smith, Chinonie R., New Salem, Laborer.' 
Smith, Lewis, Williston, O., Miner. 
Stiers, William M., Richland, Ind., Farmer, 
Stratton, Lemon M., Rushville, Ind., Timber Dealer. 
Vest, Charles, Rushville, Ind., Laborer. 
Wallace, Leven E., Rushville, Ind., Printer, transferred to 

8rd Div. Hosp. Corps, Aug. 20, 1898, discharged Dec. 

'22, 1898, per order Adjutant General's office, at Josiah 

Simpson Gen'l Hospital. 
Wells, Dudley, Indianapolis, Ind., Machinist. 
Whalen, William T., Rushville, Ind., Teamster. 
Wilson, Harold E., Rushville, Ind., Student. 
Young, Monroe E., Richland, Ind., Farmer. 

TRANSFERRED FROM 159tH IND. VOL, INF., NOV. 23, 1898. 

Cassell, Don H., Private, Indianapolis, Ind., Clerk. 

Dodd, Edward L., Private, Rusellville, 111., Farmer. 

Fedder, John II., Private, Bloomington, Ind., Filler. 

Lee, Harry, Private, Washington, Ind., Baker. 

Maher, William, Private, Washington, Ind., Hostler. 

McGahan, Claude, Private, Terre Haute, Ind., Cook, dis- 
charged April 22, 1899. 

Thompson, Charles K., Private, Terre Haute, Ind, Laborer. 

Trimble, John W., Private, Evansville, Ind., Potter. 

Talbott, Gerald, Private, Gosport, Ind., Laborer. 

Vaughn, William IL, Private, Vincennes, Ind., Student. 

Vance, Arlyn T., Private, Irvington, Ind., Student, mustered 
in Dec. 22, 1898. 



392 HISTORY OF THE 

Westfall, Walter, Private, lona, Ind., Farmer. 
Harris, Isaac, Private, Washington, Ind., Farmer. 

LATER ENLISTMENTS AUGUST 9, 1898. 

Kendall, Robert, Private, Lewis Creek, Ind., Farmer. 
Bask, William, Private, New Castle, Ind., Laborer. 



COMPANY L. 

JAMES L. ANDERSON. 

James L. Anderson, captain of Company L, was born 
near Selma. Clark county, Ohio, July 2, 1850. He came 
with his parents to Warren county, Indiana, in 1853, where 
he resided until 1874. He took a business course in the 
Commercial College»at Oberlin, Ohio, and a course in the 
School of Pharmacy at thei University of Michigan, leaving 
there in 1877. He engaged in school teaching for several 
terms after returning to Indiana, and in 1879 went into the 
drug business in Montgomery county, Indiana. In Novem- 
ber, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Florence M. 
McClure, at .Wingate, Indiana. They have one child, 
Carl R. Anderson. In 1885 he sold out and went to Frank- 
fort, Indiana, and went on the road for a commercial firm 
for a year, but returned to the drug business in 1887. In 
1890 he sold out his business to accept a position as travel- 
ing salesman, and in 1895 was appointed as guard at the 
Indiana State Prison North, where he was employed when 
war was declared with Spain, and resigned his position to 
enter the service as captain of Company L. Captain An- 
derson is of English descent, his father's family settling in 
eastern Maryland and his mother's in old Virginia, and 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



393 




Captain James L. Anderson. 

though of Quaker descent had five brothers in the Union 
army during the war of the RebelHon, and is a distant 
relative of Major Anderson, of Fort Sumter fame. 



ELI W. PETERSON. 

First Lieutenant EH W. Peterson was born near 
Decatur, Indiana, in 1873. His parents moved to Decatur 
while he was an infant, and as he grew up he was educated 
there. In 1885 he emigrated with them to Mead Center, 



394 



HISTORY OF THE 



Kansas, residing there three years. From there he went 
to Colorado, returning to Decatur in 1890. He entered 
the regular army in 1891, receiving an honorable discharge 







M 


■1 


.'5 
4 




^^Sl 






^T^mm- 




i 




''^^^t^/ 


> ^^H 


^^^^ 




;^-^fe-. 


^^H 


H' 


^^H 


n^btt^-- 


^J^^^ 


■■1^ 


E 




flj 


^^K 7 /. fl^ 


^sk!|^k 




H| 


^1 


^'im. 


:^'.%wS^^^^^^ 


^E9 


^^1 



First Lieutenant Eli W. Peterson. 



three years later. Again returning to Decatur, he went 
into the printing business, which he gave up after two years 
to accept a position as guard at the Indiana State Prison 
North, and which he resigned in' order to accept his com- 
mission as lieutenant. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



395 



CHARLES E. DORITY. 

Second Lieutenant Charles E. Dority was born in 
Waterville, New York, in 1874, removing from there to 
Three Oaks, Michigan, in 1889. In 1896 he removed to 




Second Lieutenant, Charles E. Dority. 

Michigan City, Indiana, and entered the employ of Ford, 
Johnson & Co., wholesale furniture manufacturers, remain- 
ing with them until he enlisted. 

On the trip to Jacksonville he was appointed provost 
marshal of the Third Battalion. His work proving satis- 
factory, he was at once detailed as assistant to Major Har- 



396 HISTORY OF THE 

risoa, provost marshal of the Seventh Army Corps, which 
position he very creditably filled. 



HISTORY OF COMPANY L. 

Company -L was organized at Michigan City, Indiana, 
at the beginning of hostilities between Spain and the United 
States. On May ist. 1898, a meeting was held at which 
time the present officers were elected. Owing to its failure 
to be accepted on the first call many changes took place; 
many feeling that there would be but one call, left to join 
other organizations that had been accepted and had still 
many vacant places. 

This, however, did not have a demoralizing effect as the 
company had many on its lists in excess of the required 
number. When it became apparent that the second call 
would be made, much enthusiasm was evinced and the 
organization gained many new members from all parts of 
Laporte county, and also a few from southern Michigan. 

On June 24th word was received by Captain Anderson 
of the acceptance of the company and also to prepare it 
for service. 

Immediately preparations were begun. Each member 
was subjected to a rigid examination which resulted in 
turning out a company of men who were perfect specimens 
of ph}sical manhood. On July ist the company was 
ordered to report at Indianapolis, which it did, leaving 
Michigan City, at 8 o'clock on the morning of July 2nd and 
arriving at Indianapolis about 2:30 o'clock of the same day. 
The company was taken to Camp Mount and quartered in 
one of the numerous buildings there. Preparations were 
immediately begun for the final examination and muster. 
While at Camp Mount a few more members were taken 



o 

o 



> 

r 



5%-. .■■■<;.'■ 












X/4V. 

y^^/ 









?:<^ 






'»^» xii^ 





398 HISTORY OF THE 

into the company from Indianapolis and Bedford, Indiana. 
The final examination took place on Friday, July 8th and 
was followed on July 13th by being mustered into the serv- 
ice of the United States as full pledged soldiers. 



COMPANY L ROSTER. 

James L. Anderson, Captain, Frankfort, Ind. 
Eli W. Peterson, 1st Lieutenant, Decature, Ind. 
Charles L. Dority, 2d Lieutenant, Michigan City, Ind. 

sergeants, 

Cissel, Ernest W., Laporte, Ind., Printer. 
Ansley, Robert, Westville, Ind., Medical Student. 
Southard, William E., Michigan City, Ind., Plasterer. 
Brown, Arthur R., Lebanon, Ind., Clerk. 
McDonald, Joseph, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer 

corporals. 

Ongman, Carl, Michigan City, Ind., Carpenter. 

Dil worth. Leslie. Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 

Kinnel, Howard M., Michigan City, Ind.. Mechanic. 

Dodds, William L., Zelina, Ind., Railroad employe. 

fackson, Henry B., Laporte, Ind., Printer, promoted from 
ranks Aug. 20, 1898. 

Birjinski, Frank, Michigan City, Ind., Woodpolisher, pro- 
moted from ranks, Aug. 20, 1898. 

Kalies, Charles T., Westville, Ind., Clerk, promoted from 
ranks Aug. 20, 1898. 

Walton, Edward V., Wanatah, Ind., Painter, promoted from 
ranks Aug. 20, 1898. 

Davidson, Reynolds, Michigan City, Ind., Tailor, promoted 
from ranks Aug. 20, 1898. 

Hall, Henry M., Michigan City, Ind., Painter, promoted from 
ranks Aug. 20, 1898. 



K 

o 
> 



n 

c 
s 

> 

Z 




400 HISTORY OF THE 

vSimpson, Washington W., Laporte, Ind., Laborer, promoted 

from ranks Dec. 21, 1898. 
Fiffer, Fred., New York City, Shoemaker, promoted from 

ranks April 10, 1899. 

MUSICIANS. 

Gorden, Albert, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer, appointed 

from ranks Aug. 1, 1898. 
Thomas Edward, Brookville, Ind., Editor, transferred from 

159th Ind., Nov. 23, 1898. 

COOK. 

Schott, John P., Buffalo, N. Y., Jeweler, enlisted as cook 
Dec. 6, 1898, at Savannah, Ga. 

ARTIFICER. 

Renfro, Lorenzo D., T ree Oaks, Mich., Brickmason, 
appointed from ranks Aug. 27, 1898. 

WAGONER. 

Chronister, Benjamin F., Laporte, Ind., Farmer, enlisted as 
wagoner. 

PRIVATES. 

Akers. William H., Paoli, Ind., Laborer. 
Babcock, Virgil P., Porter, Ind., Farmer. 
Babcock, Daniel D., Babcock, Ind., Farmer. 
Baldwin, Charles F., Michigan City, Ind., Blacksmith. 
Bays, George R.. Three Oaks, Mich., Laborer. 
Bauman, Irvin, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer, 
Bello, Antonio, Michigan City, Ind., ]SIarble cutter. 
Bottume, Gurdon, Laporte, Ind., Laborer. 
Campbell, Herbert, Indianapolis, Ind., Laborer. 
Closser, Paul M., Laporte, Ind., Farmer. 
Cole, Frank L., Westville, Ind., Laborer. 
Creider, Oliver P., Bedford, Ind., Qjiarryman. 
Cromey, Henry A., Valparaiso, Ind., Farmer. 
Cronin. Andrew, Westville, Ind., Farmer. 



n 
o 



n 



r 




402 HISTORY OF THE 

Culbertson. Sant, Westville, Ind.. Printer, 

Denny, William vS., Michigan City. lud., Painter. 

Dreblow, Louis H., San Pierre, Ind., Painter. 

Drewer, Winfred F., Laporte, Ind., Fireman. 

Feistel, Gtistave W., Michigan City. Ind., Cabinetmaker 

Flewellen, Fred., Battle Creek, Mich., Farmer. 

Gassow, Charles, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 

Graves, Edward, Winamac, Ind., Laborer. 

Harness, Jason, Stillwell, Ind., Farmer. 

Harris, Allen C, Westville, Ind., Faimer. 

Haskins, Ernest, Niles, Mich., Laborer. 

Hawkins, George F., Westville, Ind., Farmer. 

Hixon, W^arren H., Westville, Ind., Farmer. 

Hoff, Horace, Bedford, Ind., Mechanic. 

Hopkins, William, Michigan City. Ind., Fireman. 

Johnson, Edwin R., Bedford, Ind., Laborer. 
Kennedy, Joseph J., Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 
Kernoodle, William, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 

Klingler, Emanuel G., Three Oaks, Mich., Farmer. 

Larson, August, Chesterton, Ind., Fanner. 

Lederer, Alexander, Evansville, Ind., Dentist. 

Lotridge, Henry G., Bloomington, Ind., Railroader. 

Low, Henry J., Three Oaks, Mich.. Laborer. 

Lyons, Elza, Westville, Ind., Farmer. 

Mojensky, Joseph, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 

Mutch, Hubert, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer. 

McGinnis, Robert C, Westville, Ind., Laborer. 

Noakes, Willard L., Michigan City, Iiid., Painter. 

Oiborn, Gaylord, Wanatah, Iiid., Farmer. 

Owens, Robert E., Bedford, Ind., Farmer. 

Pace, Frank, Bedford, Ind., Engineer. 

Palmateer, Wilber, Michigan City, Intl., Moulder. 

Rapp, Frank H., Otis, Ind., Laborer. 

Reynolds, Ray, Westville, Ind., Carpenter. 

Rittenour, William L., Union Mills, Ind., Farmer. 

Romepagle, Albert C, Laporte, Ind., Painter. 

Shaw, Charles F., Westville, Ind., Laborer. 

ShefFer, Charles E., Laporte, Ind.. Laborer. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4O3 

Smith. Clarence, Seafield, Ind., Farmer. 
Smith, William F., Seafield, Ind., Farmer. 
Swan, I^enjamin. Lake Station, Ind., Plasterer. 
Waggoner, George, Laporte, Ind., Laborer. 
Watkins, Edward W., Crawfordhville, Ind., Laborer. 
Will, Ernest, INIichigan City, Ind., Barber. 
Wirth, Herman T. , Waterford, Ind., Laborer. 
Youngblooth, Edmund, Pittsburgh, Pa., Laborer. 
Zuelke, August, Michigan City, Ind., L.iborer. 

LATER ENLISTMENTS. 

Browne, Roy W., New Castle, Ind., Drum Major, transferred 

from band Jan. 1, 1899. 
Carter, How^ard, Epsom, Ind., vStudent, transferred from 159th 

Ind., Nov. 28. 1899. 
Duree, William C, Br gton, Ind., Paper hanger, transferred 

from 159th Ind., Nov. 28, 1898. 
Murphy. George H , Evansville, Ind., Potter, transferred from 

159ih Ind., Nov. 28, 1898. 
McClintock, HarrieC. Buffalo, N. V., Locomotive fireman, 

eidisted Dec. 0, 18'.'8, at Savannah, Ga. 
Schwaner, Robert T., Evansville, Ind., Clerk, transferred 

from 159th Ind., Nov. 28, 1898. 
Willis, William G., Terre Haute, Ind., Paper Hanger, enlisted 

Dec. 10, 1898, at Savannah, Ga. 

DISCHARGED FOR DISABILITY AND OTHER CAUSES. 

Bloomhuff, John L., Union IMills, Ind., Carpenter, Aug. 

22, 1898. 
Bonadore, Martin, Three Oaks, Mich., Farmer, January 3, 

1899. 
Bowen, George, Stillwell, Ind., Farmer, Mar-h 20, 1899. 
Clark, Guy O., Union Mills, Ind., Tinner, March 10,1899. 
Durbin, Sheldon M., Michigan City, Ind., Laborer, Nov. 21, 

1898. 
Faris, William "A., Fariston, Ky., Qiiarryman, Jan. 30, 1899. 
Felio, James E., Michigan City, Ind., Sailor, Nov. 3, 1898. 
Hamilton, Leroy, Westville, Ind., Laborer, April 4, 1899. 



404 HISTORY OF THE 

Hittle, Benjamin F., Indianapolis, Ind., Decorator, Dec. 22, 

1898. 
Hunt, James E., Rolling Prairie, Ind., Farmer, March 6, 1899. 
Lettan, Edward C, Michigan City, Ind., Laborer, Feb. 14, 

1899. 
Long, William, Hobby ville. Ind., Qtiarryman, March 25, 1899. 
Maddox, John A., Bedford. Ind., S onemason, Jan. 30, 1899. 
Massengill. James. Bedford, Ind., Laborer, Jan. 25, 1S99. 
McMillan, George VV., Union Mills, Ind., Farmer, March 6, 

1899. 
Parkhurst, Curtis, Hamilton, Mich., Farmer. Feb. 27, 1899. 
Robe, Daniel, Galien, Mich., Laborer, Jan. 81, 1899. 
Spitzmesser, Nicholas B., Greensburg, Ind., Bookkeeper, 

Sept. 28, 1898. 
Young, Jacob W., Bedford, Ind., Qiiarryman. Jan. 13. 1899. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Leland, Charles M., Serg't, Michigan City, Ind., Painter, to 
Regimental band as band bergeant Jan. 9, 1899. 

Johanm, Frank, Corp., Union Center, Ind., Farmer, to Hos- 
pital Corps, Aug. 23, 1898. 

Jones, John G. B., Laporte, Ind., Student, to Hospital Corps, 
Aug. 23, 1898. 

^Nleissner, August, Laporte, Ind., Druggist, to Regimental 
Band, Aug. 23, 1898. 

Paxton, George, Jr., Michigan City, Ind.. Clerk, to Regi- 
mental Biind, Aug. 23, 1898. 

Reinhart, Walter W.. Laporte, Ind., Laborer, to Regimental 
Band, Aug. 23, 1898. 



Leiter, Charles E., Gilboa, Ohio, Blacksmith, Oct. 17, 1898, 
in hospital at Jacksonville, Fla. 

DESERTED. 

Jones, William D., Three Oaks, Mich., Laborer, Oct. 10, 
1898, at Jacksonville, Fla. 



MEDICAL DEPARTMENT 




H 
CD 



; ^ . ^i«*^ 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 407 

WICKLIFF SMITH 

Major Wickliff Smith is a self-made man; the fine re- 
putation he has sustained as a physician and surgeon has 
been acquired by the greatest perseverance, under most 
adverse circumstances. He was born November 24, 1851, 
in Marion county, among the hills of West Virginia. 
His parents were well-to-do farmers and the young man 
began life's struggle with the grain of his makeup straight- 
ened and tempered by that training so peculiar to such 
environment. His early education was received in the 
country schools and later, in Jefferson College, Waynes- 
burg, Pennsylvania. After his literary course he returned 
once more to the farm and here in the midst of his 
work spent his spare time in the study of medicine. 
His father's estate had been lost during the war, sickness 
laid hold upon them and the young man was facing the 
future with an extra heavy burden to bear. He succeeded 
in entering the Cincinnati Medical College in 1871, 
graduating three years later. After a very brief practice 
in Calida, Ohio, he went to Delphi, Indiana, where he 
has since resided, with a practice that has steadily grown 
until the demand upon his time was greater than he could 
meet. He is held in high esteem by the people of his 
place, and considered an authority in medical science the 
state over. To his careful attention to details of camp 
cleanliness and other sanitary conditions is due much of the 
healthfulness which has attended the regiment in which he 
served as surgeon. No man v. as more popular in the regi 
ment than Major Smith, and his brave deportment in the 
threatened smallpox plague gained for him the admiration 
of every soldier that knew him. He will return to Delphi 
when mustered out. 



408 



HISTORY OF THE 



MILLARD F. GERRI5H. 

First Lieutenant and Assistant Surgeon INIillard F. 
Gerrish was born at Paris, Jennings county, Indiana, Feb- 
ruary 27, 1856. His father was a suigeon in the Sixty - 




First Lieutenant Millard t. Gerrish. 

seventh Indiana during the Civil war. After finishing his 
preparatory studies, he entered the medical department of 
the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in and 
began the practice of his profession. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4O9 

He sacrificed a large practice to enter the volunteer 
service, and was commissioned first lieutenant and assist- 
ant surgeon, in June. Twice during the absence of the 
major-surgeon. October 5-15, he became acting surgeon in 
charge, and was found at all times faithful to his important 
commission, and to his untiring service must be credited 
much of the excellent health of his reglmsnt. 

Lieutanents Gerrish and Wilson were appointed as 
medical examiners for the Fourth Virginia and Forty-ninth 
Iowa, on occasion of their preperation for muster out. 



JAMES WILSON. 

James Wilson, first lieutenant and assistant surgeon, 
was born at W'abash, Indiana, in 1865, November 15. He 
was educated in Greencastle, Indiana, at DePauw Univer- 
sity, after which he entered the University of Michigan, at 
Ann Arbor, from which institution he graduated in 1888. 
He repaired at once to New York city and entered Belle- 
view Medical College, graduation from medical course in 
1890. His professional studies being finished he engaged 
in practice of medicine in the city of his birth. Upon the 
second call for troops, he offered himself to the governor 
for service in the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana 
Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in as assistant sur- 
geon with the rank of first lieutenant in June. On August 
26, he was detached from regiment and placed in charge of 
one of the wards of the Third Division hospital, at Jackson- 
ville, from which position he was reluctantly released on 
October 24, to rejoin his regiment, which was then start- 
ing for Savannah, Georgia. 



410 



HISTORY OF THE 




First Lieutenant James Wilson. 



HISTORY OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. 

This department of the One Hundred and Sixty-first 
Indiana as organized in the beginning consisted of Surgeon- 
Major Wickliff Smith, of Delphi, Assistant Surgeon Lieu- 
tenants Millard F. Gerrish, of Seymour, and James Wilson, 
of Wabash, all eminent physicians of the state who were 
selected by the governorron account of their high profes- 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 4II 

sional standing, and Hospital Stewards William H. Rath- 
ert, druggist and medical student of Indianapolis; Jas. 
G. Espey, druggist and medical student of Rising Sun, In- 
diana, and John I. Lewis, recent graduate physician of 
Bedford. A regiment could hardly have had a better 
equipment of men in the medical department. When the 
regiment was first mustered in at the state fair grounds it 
was thought unnecessary to organize a field hospital for 
the large healthy men then in camp and all cases were 
treated at their quarters for the first few weeks. But the 
surgeons had not much more than gotten through with 
their duties of finishing the mustering papers when they 
found a sick call of sufficient magnitude to preclude much 
idleness on their part and on the 6th of August a hospital 
was started in the'upper story of the administration build- 
ing. The quarters were very pleasant, being commodious 
and airy. Private Horace Lucas, of Company A, an ex- 
perienced nurse, and Doctor Jones, then a private of Com- 
pany H, were detailed to nurse and prepare the diet. Some 
cots, an old cook stove, tables and some other useful arti- 
cles, property of the state militia, were pressed into serv- 
ice, and these, with some cooking utensils purchased out of 
a fund placed at our disposal by Colonel Durbin and Major 
Smith, made up our first equipments. Out of this same 
fund a few delicacies and a daily supply of milk were pur- 
chased, but when once started the good ladies of Indianap- 
olis made donations of good things to eat and bed linen 
that had the regiment remained at this camp very much 
longer the hospital would have had a stock of provisions 
sufficient to supply a dozen such institutions. 

Three patients were received on the afternoon of the 
6th. Other cases soon followed until the records would 
show from ten to fifteen in the hospital each day. The 
morning reports would show about an average of forty or 



412 HISTORY OF THE 

fifty answering sick call. This did not include many who 
were taking medicine for minor causes and not going on 
the sick book. The sickness was due principally to ma- 
larial infection, being fever, diarrhea, etc., predisposed by 
the changes always incident to camp life. 

While camp life was new to the men, they failed to 
realize to any great extent that it was necessary to exer- 
cise some precautions in the care of their health; that a 
few mild chills in Indiana might be the cause for protracted 
malarial fever in the tropical country, or that a disordered 
stomach predisposed to a prolonged attack of camp 
diarrhoea. Thus it was that when we left Camp Mount, 
although considered a healthy regiment, the men really 
had not the physical stamina they had when they came 
into camp six weeks before. On breaking camp about half 
of the patients in the hospital were furloughed home, the 
balance taken along, as they were so desirous of staying 
with the regiment, that it was almost impossible to 
refuse to take them. Just before starting the first dis- 
charge in the regiment was granted to Corporal William 
Gilbert on the ground of disability. Not being of strong 
constitution, the six weeks of camp life had been too rough 
for him and the surgeons decided he was unfitted for further 
military service. On arrival at Panama Park, Florida, on 
the bright Sunday mornmg of August 14th, only three men 
were willing to be admitted to the hospital, the others 
being so benefited and buoyed up by the trip and changes 
manifest everywhere about them that, although some had 
fever, they were desirous of keeping out of the hospital. 
Each case had received close attention during the trip, 
there being a surgeon aboard each section of the train. 
W^hen the regiment first went into camp here it was the 
order from corps headquarters to have a regimental hospi- 
tal to hold the patients for not longer than three days to 



ONE HUNDRKD AND SIXTY-FIKST INDIANA. 413 

determine the gravity of the ailment, after which the pa- 
tient was to be sent to the division hospital or returned to 
quarters as the seriousness of the case would indicate. This 
was not a very practical rule, to say the least, and was not 
followed closely by any of the regiments in the corps, 
possibly on account of the lack of the facilities at the di- 
vision hospital at the time for the care of the sick. As for 
our own regiment, Major Smith insisted that he preferred 
keeping the sick under the direct observation of himself 
and the assistant surgeons. However, a close supervision 
was kept of the cases and any one that bid fair to be pro- 
tracted for a length of time was transferred to the Division 
hospital. 

According to general order No. 58, of the war depart- 
ment, a limited number of enlisted men of the volunteer 
service were given an opportunity to be transferred to the 
hospital corps of the United States Army. The Third 
Division hospital at the time of arrival of the regiment at 
Panama Park had just been started, and the demands on 
the accommodations of the same by reason of a heavy per 
cent, of sickness in some of the other regiments, made it 
necessary for us to furnish our quota of men to act as 
nurses within a few days after our arrival. At their own 
request the following men were transferred: Company A, 
Horace Lucas, Jean Crandall, Andrew Larson, S. Byerly, 
Harry C. Kimball; Company B, Burle Turner and Edward 
Walter; Company D, Wesley Dall, Michael Logan, Marcus 
Renfrow; Company E, John Griffith, Jesse Dunhan; Com- 
pany F, Granville Williams, William Prifogle, Sylvester 
Wright; Company G. J. Morris Leech, John Dolan, Will- 
iam T. Engel. Alonzo Allen; Company H, Leven Wallace, 
Clarence Heaton; Company I, Jacob W. Dexter, Franklin 
G. Scott; Company K, John Romain, James Keith, Harry 
McCoy, Fred Rowell; Company L, J. G. B. Jones, T. 



414 HISTORY OF THE 

Johanna; Company M, John Cox, Ernest Bales. These 
men when transferred would draw the increased pay of 
$21.60 per month. Lucas was soon made acting steward. 
Walters and Griffith were immediately detailed back to the 
regiment, Walters as orderly to Major Smith, and Griffith 
as hostler, which positions they held until exchanged, April 
30, 1899. Not many good things can be said of the hos- 
pital at Camp Cuba Libre, nor are many pleasant memories 
stored away by those connected with it during the long 
dreadful siege of malaria that followed. The first hospital 
was erected on the second day after arrival, and consisted 
of a tent, 14 x 16, furnished with two bales of hay for beds, 
and for four weeks of rainy weather was without a l^oor, 
due (is it to be presumed) to the scarcity of lumber in that 
region of pine forests.' No provisions were made for feed- 
ing the sick, other than from their regular rations, which 
had already become repulsive to their weak stomachs. 
Milk was hard to get in that barren country, as well as ice, 
another very desirable article for the sick; but it was not 
long until the Red Cross Society came to our assistance 
with ice each day. A short time afterward the society pre- 
sented the hospital with a large chest, which proved very 
useful. Getting the floor seemed to be a good starter, for 
in a few days Colonel Durbin ordered a lot of matresses 
dropped at the door; the hay was discarded and the 
patients put on real beds. Eighteen cots were next 
secured from the medical supply house. About this time 
a nice lot of bed linens, night shirts and towels were 
received from the ladies of Monticello, Indiana, and also 
jellies, canned fruit and fruit juices were received from the 
Woman's Relief Corps, of Indianapolis, which had been 
collected from different parts throughout the state. Soon 
after a very large box, containing new sheets, feather pil- 
lows, pillow cases and towels, was sent direct from the 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 415 

Pettis Dry Goods Company, of Indianapolis, by these same 
Woman's Relief Corps ladies. These articles and the 
foods were doubly appreciated, on account of coming in a 
time when so sorely needed. The culinary department 
also began to receive some attention. A stove was found 
and a few dishes and the mess and food chest, drawn from 
the medical supply depot, fitted up a very respectable kitchen. 
On the 14th of September, Louis C. Benica was detailed 
as cook, and remained with the kitchen as long as the 
hospital existed. For the first ten days after our arrival at 
Camp Cuba Libre the sick call was somewhat lighter than 
at Camp Mount, but the frequent showers and hot sun soon 
got in their work, and the line that filed up to the dispen- 
sary behind the sergeant in charge each morning became a 
little longer. The happy, enthusiastic boys of a fortnight 
before were becoming a listless and forlorn -looking crowd, 
their systems loaded down with malarial poison. It would 
be impossible for pen to describe the suffering these men 
passed through in getting acclimated to the sunny south. 
On September 4th the regiment was shocked by the 
first death, that of Earnest R. Pullman, of Company A, who 
dove off of a railroad trestle into the shallow water of Trout 
Creek striking his head on the bottom. After being rescued 
by his comrades and brought to camp it was found that he 
had broken his spine just below the shoulders. He lived 
only thirty hours after receiving the injury. Steward Lewis 
was admitted to the hospital the latter part of August with 
a temperature of 103". It was thought his illness was only 
temporary, but in a few days complications arose and he 
was sent to the division hospital, where it was hoped that 
better care and food would cause him to rally but he failed 
to improve and died the 8th of September. His loss was 
deeply regretted by his host of friends in the regiment and 
those at home. Dr. George B. Jones was chosen steward 



4l6 HISTORY OF THE 

in his place. Just about this time Steward Espey was. 
taken sick and Geo. W. Twomey, of Company E, a med- 
ical student, was detailed to the hospital, where he remained 
until the regiment landed in Cuba. In September Ralph 
H. Kenner, of Company H. was detailed as drug clerk and 
with the exception ol nine days that he was sick you would 
have found him at his post day and night. Kenner was a 
most faithful clerk and was kept very busy filling, while at 
Cuba Libre, two and three hundred prescriptions per day. 
Not all the boys had implicit faith in the remedies pre- 
scribed, partly perhaps because the drugs did not have the 
same effect they would have had under different surround- 
ings and in another climate, consequently quite an amount 
of malarial specific was disposed of in a way not intended 
by the prescriber. In one instance pills and powders enough 
to fill a quart cup were found under the bunk of a young 
man who had been furloughed home. He had been an- 
swering sick call for quite a while and had disposed of his 
medicine in this way instead of swallowing it. 

In the latter .part of September, the service of a lady 
nurse. Miss Mollie Ward, was secured, which was a great 
advantage to the hospital and an improved appearance was 
most apparent after a few days in care of Miss Ward. She 
was a sister of Lieutenant Ward, of Company I. and a 
graduate of the Cfiicago Training School. About this time 
a new bath house was built and it was at this time that an 
effort was being put forth to secure the allowance of sixty 
cents per day granted by the government to each patient 
in the hospital. This was not secured, however, until a 
month later and the hospital had to depend on money 
secured from friends for means to pay the laundry bills and 
buy milk for the patients, there being ten gallons used 
daily. On October ist. Hospital Steward Espey started for 
his home in Indiana, more dead than alive, where after a. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



417 



lingering illness he recovered, but applied for his discharge, 
which was granted without returning to the regiment. On 
October i8th, Major Smith was taken sick and removed to 




James G. Espey. 



a hotel in Jacksonville, and three days later started for his 
home in Indiana on a thirty days' sick leave. Lieutenant 
Gerrish was now placed in charge of the medical depart- 
ment and Lieutenant Wilson, who had been detailed to the 
Third Division hospital, was returned to the regiment. It 
had required a detail of two men from the regiment all the 
time as nurses and although inexperienced these men were 
always faithful and did their duty as best they could; 
they received no extra pay but they will be most gratefully 
remembered by those who were recipients of their kindness. 
Those who were regularly detailed and remained for a 
.length of time were: Marshall D. Dickey, Company F; 
Charles Best, Company I; Samuel J. Weaver, Company 
F, at Jacksonville, Savannah and in Cuba; John Myers, 
Company E; John W. Wilson, Company G; Charles Nash, 

27 



41 8 HISTORY OF THE 

Company G; Henry Spencer, Company M. On the night 
of October ist, began a rain which ended in a wind storm 
lasting all next day that will always be remembered. The 
hospital was only saved by being tied down and even as 
it was the bedding got soaked and a large quantity of the 
drugs destroyed. After this storm jaundice seemed to 
increase and the men began to look more like a race of 
Mongolians than Americans. 

Up to this time only one death had occurred in the 
regimental hospital, Fred Shroeder, of Company A, who died 
very suddenly on October 14 of a hemorrhage of the bowels 
during an attack of typhoid fever. On October 22 the 
patients remaining in the regimental hospital, some fifty or 
sixty in number, were removed to the Third Division hos- 
pital preparatory to our leaving for Savannah the next day. 
Some of these poor fellows never lived to join the regi- 
ment. Others were furloughed home and granted dis- 
charges. Few came back. Sixty-four was the highest 
number in the regimental hospital at one time, and when 
the regiment left for Savannah there was hardly a person 
who had not suffered from some form of malaria. On Oc- 
tober 16 a large wooden building that would accommodate 
fifty or more patients was completed and ready for use. 
This came too late to be of much service. 

SAVANNAH. 

The camp at Savannah was quite a contrast to the one 
we had just left and the hospital was very poorly patron- 
ized. Some thirty cases of measles broke out, but these 
were sent to the division hospital, and deaths occurred as fol- 
lows: William G. Weaver, Company I, fever; Joseph F. 
Turner, Company I, measles. Just before leaving for Cuba 
the following privates from the hospital corps, United States 
Army, were transferred to this regiment for duty at regimental 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIKST INDIANA. 419 

hospital: Morris F. Leech, Jacob W. Dexter, FrankHn 
Scott and John Cox, who were among those originally 
transferred from this regiment to United States hospital 
corps. These having had six months experience in the 
division hospital, and the hospital funds now being granted 
made the hospital able to take care of the sick much better 
than ever before. 

CUBA. 

When we arrived in Cuba there was but one ambu- 
lance load of sick. These were mostly measles and all 
able to sit up. The eight-mile march to Marianao, 
although hot and dusty, had no bad effect on the men, but 
rather served as a means of relief after having been penned 
up on board the transport for four days. After shifting 
the tents around from place to place for a few days, a 
location was at last found on a nice grassy spot about one, 
quarter of a mile from the regiment. The nurses had just 
gotten rid of all the cases of measles and were preparing 
to have an easy time when a worse woe overtook them. 
A case of smallpox broke out in the hospital, December 
27, Fred Imes, of Company I, being the patient. None 
of the corps had ever had this disease and none were fool- 
hardy enough to run into it; but since it was their duty to 
take care of this case, and having been already exposed, 
no one even intimated that he was unwilling to do his duty. 
The hospital was immediately put under quarantine. It 
was necessary for some one to take the patient to an iso- 
lated tent, two hundred yards away, and live there the life 
of a hermit until the case terminated. Franklin Scott, 
a personal friend of Imes, volunteered to go and nurse him, 
as brave an act as a soldier ever did. The Imes case not 
being a bad one. he was back in his company at the end 
of nine weeks. The next two cases were Jacob Dexter, of 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 42 1 

Company I; a. night nurse, and Andrew Graham, of Company 
D, who was just convalescing from measles when Imes was 
brought in. Dexter took on the hemorrhagic form and 
died in less than a week. Graham, on whom the eruption 
appeared almost solid, lived a week longer. 

Every thing was favorable to good health as could be 
anywhere, and, aside from the sore arms, not many men 
were excused from duty. A pleasant northeaster almost 
incessantly blowing across the isle. To the hospital corps 
and attaches the time is one long to be remembered. To 
Major Smith they are indebted^for many pleasures that the 
hospital corps of other regiments did not have. It was due 
to his kindness that they were permitted to have an ambu- 
lance to go to the sea-shore twice a week as well as to take 
an occasional trip to the surrounding country. Marshall 
Dickey, of Conjpany " F," was the third case to be admit- 
ted. His proved to be a mild attack^of veriloid, however, 
and he soon recovered. He was then utilized to assist in 
nursing the others. John Werner, of Company "A, "who 
had the small-pox some years before, volunteered his serv- 
ices as nurse also, which were gladly accepted. Scott had 
a very severe attack of the disease; for a time his life was 
despaired of but he finally recovered at the end of two 
months. Everything that could be procured for the com- 
fort of these patients was ordered by Major Smith, such as 
milk at twenty-five cents per quart, butter at fifty cents 
per pound, eggs at forty cents per dozen and canned deli- 
cacies regardless of cost. The major was equally as care- 
ful of his patients in every way, visiting them two or three 
times a day and seeing to their burial. The major had had 
some experience with this disease and he was very success- 
ful in preventing its spread through the regiment. Vacci- 
nation was begun immediately on the appearance of the 
first case, but the virus proved to be inert. Good virus 



422 HISTORY OF THE 

was procured as soon as possible; and the whole regiment 
vaccinated. Some arms that were produced were a sight 
to behold. For some reason the vaccine and small pox 
seemed to be of especial virulent type. While the hospital 
was under quarantine Chas. Trimble, of Company " F," 
died at the Second Division hospital of malarial cacxia. 
The boy had never recovered from a long siege of malarial 
fever at Jacksonville and had not the constitution to with- 
stand further hardships. The quarantine was raised and 
the hospital moved up by the camp on February 3rd. The 
hospital was in its new location but a few days when 
Andrew Gould, of Company M, was admitted for malarial 
fever; shortly symptoms of small pox began to appear and 
he was immediately placed in a detention tent. In two 
more days the disease was fully manifest and he was 
removed to the Second Division hospital. In ten days 
more we heard the sad news of his death. The loss of all 
these cases was felt much heavier on account of their being 
young men somewhat above the average in morals and 
intelligence. It was sad indeed to see those brave boys so 
full of vigor, stricken in a foreign land so far from home 
and loved ones. Comrades have sodded their graves with 
green and placed a carved stone at the head of each. And 
in after years when all their comrades have passed away 
we know that a grateful country will protect that lonely 
spot, hallowed by their dust and keep those graves for- 
ever green. 

The day before leaving for America the patients in the 
regimental hospital were returned to quarters and on the 
next day all were able to go aboard the transport; six men 
who were in the division hospital were all that were left 
behind. On arrival at Savannah, Georgia, the hospital was 
broken up; all cases requiring more care than could be 
afforded them in quarters were sent to the military hospital 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 423 

in the city of Savannah. Some four or five cases were all 
that required removal. The cases in the Second Division 
hospital were brought over from Cuba just before the regi- 
ment was mustered out, all convalescent. On looking back 
over the eight months of hospital experience in the field, 
one of the striking features is the lack of the variety of 
diseases, the overwhelming majority of cases being due to 
malarial infection; few cases of typhoid fever are recorded 
and but one case of pneumonia, that one a complication of 
measles. The twenty deaths that occurred is not a great 
mortality but the effects of the poisonous miasma of Florida 
will be in greater evidence in the broken constitution of 
many a survivor in after years. 



R§GIMgNTAL BAND 



426 



HISTORY OF THE 



ERNEST S. WILLIAMS. 

Mr. Ernest S. Williams, chief musician, was appointed 
to his position December 3, 1898. He is the son 
of S. E. Williams, one of the foremost musicians of the 
state, and was born at Fountain City, Indiana, on the 27th 




Ernest S. Williams. 

day of September, 1881. He received his education in the 
schools of Winchester. Indiana, but at a very early age it 
became apparent that he was, by his natural gifts, fitted 
above everything else for the musical profession. At the 
early age of seven, under the direction of his father, he 
began the study of the rudiments and the practice of the 
cornet. Mr. Williams has had connection with the leading 
bands of the state, and since his appointment as chief 



428 HISTORY OF THE 

musician in the One Hundred and Sixty-first Indiana he 
has proven efficient and acceptable in every particular, 
bringing the band to a recognized position as one of the 
very best of the Seventh Army Corps. One of Mr. 
Williams' latest and best compositions is the "March 
of the One Hundred and Sixty-first," which he has just 
published and dedicated to the members of that regiment. 



MEMBERS. 

Warren, Bronson, baritone. 

Byers, John, snare drum. 

Braselton, E. K., solo alto. 

Coffey, Albert, fourth alto. 

Darnell, Charles, slide trombone. 

Dumenil, Ellsworth, slide trombone. 

Hammock, John, first B-flat cornet. 

Harris, W. S., first clarinet. 

Hoar, John, bass drum. 

Hay, G. C. , solo cornet. 

Huffman, Ed., tenor trombone. 

Jakes, David, second clarinet. 

Lance, Ed., third alto. 

Lunow, Martin, slide trombone. 

McCloud, John, E-flat clarinet. 

Meissner, A. C, E-flat bass. 

Reinhart, Walter, second B-flat cornet. 

Paxton, George, piccolo. 

Rucker, H. V., E-flat bass. 

Walker, Fred, baritone. 

Williams, E. S., solo cornet. 

Webb, Mt S., second alto. 

Leland, Charles, drum-major. 

Cocker, Joe, cook. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 429 

ORGANIZATION. 

Shortly after the formation of the regiment at Camp 
Mount, the proper steps were taken preparatory to the 
regimental musical organization. A careful search through 
the different companies brought forth several fair musicians 
and they at once secured instruments, some owning their 
own, and some using instruments rented by the officers 
from dealers in the city; during the remainder of the month 
of July and up to August 12 the boys lent their efforts 
toward furnishing band music for the regiment and visitors. 
Upon leaving Indianapolis for Jacksonville, the rented 
instruments were returned, and those who owned them 
shipped theirs home. After Mr. Beck, of Columbus, Indi- 
ana, after several other conclusions, concluded that the 
sand of Florida would certainly destroy his already fail- 
ing eyesight, Mr. Antonio Montani, of Indianapolis, was 
appointed chief musician (band master) and Mr. H. M. 
Lord, of Mt. Vernon, Indiana, as one of the principal 
musicians. 

Arriving at Jacksonville it was several days before a 
new set of band instruments was received, and when they 
did arrive they were of a very inferior grade; however some 
progress was made under Mr. Montani's direction. 

The Second Mississippi Regiment had been furnished 
by their state with a fine set of Boston musical instruments, 
valued at three thousand five hundred dollars, and prior 
to leaving for home on September 12, the instruments had 
been turned to account with the government, and late in 
the night of September 11, Major Megrew returned from 
a conference with Chief Quartermaster Pond bearing an 
order for the Second Mississippi instruments to be turned 
over to the quartermaster of the One Hundred and Sixty- 
first Indiana, and on the morning of the 12th they were ia 



430 HISTORY OF THE 

the possession of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Regi- 
mental Band. 

About this time Mr. Montani's health began to fail, 
and on this account, and also on account of sickness in the 
band, no progress was made, although the organization 
was sufficient for the needs at this time. 

On October 21st, the regiment was ordered to Savan- 
nah, and after arrival there Mr. Montani secured his dis- 
charge. The position of director fell to Principal Musician 
Harry M. Lord, and under him the band took a fresh start 
and accomplished much. Mr. Lord was taken sick two 
weeks later, however, and was sent to the division hos- 
pital. At this juncture it was evident the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana would go to Cuba, and Captain 
Stott started for Indiana, the result being that several good 
musicians were secured. Mr. E. S. Williams, of Win- 
chester, solo cornetist, being appointed chief musician, and 
Frederick Walker, from Shelby ville, as principal musician; 
much needed music was secured and the band made great 
strides. Arriving in Cuba, Mr. G. A. Ha}', cornetist, was 
appointed principal musician to succeed Mr. Lord, who 
had been furloughed and discharged. Although handi- 
capped by some sickness the band never lost a mem- 
ber. They withstood the climate of Cuba admirably, and 
returned to Savannah March 29, 1899, with the regiment. 
The band was scheduled for one concert each week at 
division headquarters, the majority of which were given. 
Several concerts were played at St. James Park in Jackson- 
ville, and one at the Windsor hotel; two were given at the 
De Sota in Savannah, and one at General Lee's residence 
in Marianao, Cuba. Music was also furnished for the One 
Hundred and Sixty-first reception at Marianao on the even- 
ing of March the 20th. besides several concerts furnished 
after the return of the regiment to America. As a band 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 43 1 

this ranked second to none in the Seventh Army Corps. 
All are as proud of their record as the men are of the rec- 
ord of the regiment during the Spanish-American war. 



BUGLE AND DRUM CORPS. 

The organization of the Bugle Corps was effected early 
in the history of the regiment and was made by the selec- 
tion of two men from each company, but until sufficient 
practice enabled them to sound a call that could be recog- 
nized for what it was meant, John Strauss, of Company 
M, did the bugle work for the regiment, and was there- 
after chief bugler, under whose directions the men became 
quite proficient in their art, and many a time when 
"Dutch," of Torrey's calvary, would startle the stillness 
of the night with his fine expression of Retreat, the 
response that went back from camp the One Hundred and 
Sixty-first was like it. 

The drum corps came into existence just before going 
to Cuba, and have aided materially in the department of 
music to which they belong, especially in the morning, 
*' Can't get 'em up. " 

There have been changes in both these bodies, but at 
mustering-out time they were composed as follows: 

BUGLE CORPS. 

Company A, Parley Miller. 
Company B, Otto Ware. 

Company C, Will Mickelson and Wiley Moore. 
Company D, Charles W. Brownscome and John E. 
Harper. 

Company E, Percy Jones. 

Company F, Will G. Ford and George Muye. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 433 

Company G, Henry Vandyke and Edward Beeson. 
Company H, John Fedder and B. Middleton. 
Company I, Charles E. Conner and William E. Comer. 
Company K, Horace Israel and Alexander Clarke. 
Company L, A. E. Gordon and A. E. Thomas. 
Company M, Charles L. Kelsey. 

DRUMMERS. 

Company A, William Fortune. 
Company B, George W. Cravens. 
Company D, John K. Prather. 
Company E, Edward White. 
Company F, Fred. B. Stanley. 
Company G, Eugene Taylor. 
Company I, Walter Simons. 
Company K, William Fuller. 



28 



ROLL OF HONOR 



436 HISTORY OF THE 

ROLL OF HONOR. 



This is the saddest part of the writer's task, to chron- 
icle the death of his comrades, who came out with glad 
enthusiasm for the cause they espoused and with patriotic 
devotion to the flag they loved. With a heart for any fate 
they made the great sacrifice and laid down their lives for 
the flag they had sworn to defend; not on the battle field, 
in the midst of the smoke and flame and leaden hail, falling 
by some comrade's side — that had been better; but in the 
miasmic atmosphere of the army hospital, with fevered 
cheek and glistening eye they tossed upon their cot, drag- 
ging the long days and weary hours through, hoping still, 
till touched by the silence of death. They all died bravely, 
uncomplaining, as soldiers ought to die. Those who paid 
the great price on native soil were sent home for burial. 
In many cases escorts from their companies went to the 
city and gathered round the flag-draped coffin in which 
their comrade lay and after a brief service by the chaplain 
the remains were escorted to the depot for shipment. Those 
who died on foreign soil are resting to-day beneath the 
palms of Cuba. There are four of them whose graves are 
No.'s i6. 17, 19, and 26 in that soldier row that lies just 
up from Playa's coast. 

On Friday, March 12, 1899, Lieutenant-Colonel Backus 
and the chaplain with a detail of men from the companies 
to which these dead comrades belonged sodded the graves 
and placed at their heads 1 rge blocks of limestone, each 
containing a marble slab upon which is chiseled the name 
and other appropriate facts concerning the departed soldier. 
These stones were prepared at the instance of Colonel Dur- 
bin by Antonio Bello, of Company L, a practical worker in 
marble, and are of such a substantial character as to last as 



r" 



"mrw 




438 HISTORY OF THE 

long as time, if not disturbed, and thus our comrades are 
sleeping in their silent graves of glory where their devotion 
to the stars and stripes has laid them to rest. No. i6 is 
Jacob W. Dexter's grave, the first of the three low stones 
on your left if you look at them from the foot of the 
graves; the next No. 17, is Charles Trimble's, and No. 19, 
nearest to the high stone is Alonzo M. Graham's, while 
No. 26 is seen to the extreme right being the grave of 
Andrew Gould. We knew when we left that destiny with 
its silent tread would touch perhaps the threshold of many 
a heart to bid it prepare for the unseen world. These 
comrades of ours, brave and strong on that day, were the 
ones to hear the call and when the hour was ready they 
made the sacrifice that placed their names on the Honor 
Roll and made for themselves a glory as undying as the 
memory of a grateful people. Whether they are resting 
to-day side by side with dear ones in the Holy fields at 
home where loving hands have laid them away or whether 
their sleeping forms sanctify the red soil of that land they 
went to save, their companionship and their sacrifice will 
be an evergreen spot in the memory of us all. " Under 
the sod and the dew waiting the judgment day;" they did 
their duty; we honor them for it and leave the rest with God. 



ERNEST R. PUHLMAN. 



Private Ernest R. Puhlman, Company A, was born in 
Berlin, Germany, in 1877. The first death in the regiment 
occurred by accident; Ernest R. Puhlman with some of his 
comrades were bathing in Trout creek September 3; Puhl- 
man, misjudging the water's depth, dove from a railroad 
trestle and striking bottom dislocated his third spinal verte- 
bra; he was unconscious up to the moment of his death. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 



439 




Ernest R. Puhlman. 

and died at 6:30 p. m., September 4, 1898, in the Third 
Division hospital, Camp Cuba Libre. 



JOHN J. LEWIS. 

Hospital Steward John J. Lewis was born near 
Mitchell, Lawrence county, Indiana, May 2, 1878. He 
received his early education in Germany, and his medical 
training in the medical department of the University of 
Indianapolis, graduating with honor March 27, 1898. He 
was appointed chief hospital steward of the One Hundred 
and Sixty-first Indiana Volunteer Infantry upon the unani- 
mous recommendation of his college faculty. He discharged 
all his duties faithfully and acceptably; he was courteous 



440 



HISTORY OF THE 



and reserved, and especially kind to his associates. His 
illness began about September i, and was not thought to 
be serious; patient in suffering, he always replied, " I'm all 




JuiixX J. Lewis. 

right," but his illness suddenly became serious, and heart 
failure ensued, from which he died at 9:40 p. m. on Thurs- 
day, September 8, 1898, in the Third Division hospital at 
Camp Cuba Libre. 



CLARENCE D. RUNS, COMPANY I. 

Private Clarence D. I\uns, Company I, was born at 
Dayton, Ohio, in 1874; died of typhoid at 12:30 a. m., 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA, 



441 




Clarence D. Kuns, Company 1. 

September 24, 1898, at Camp Cuba Libre; buried at 
Brookston, Indiana. 

'* ROBERT ANGLETON, COMPANY E. 

Private Robert Angleton was born at Jeffersonville, 
Indiana, in 1878, and died October 11. 1898, of typhoid 
fever at the same place while on a sick furlough. 



"■ JOHN A. SEBREE, COMPANY D. 

Private John A. Sebree, age 22, died of typhoid fever 
October 14. 1898, at Camp Cuba Libre; he was born in 
Ghent, New York, to which place his remains were shipped 
for burial. 



WALLACE D. STIVERS, COMPANY I. 

Corporal Wallace D. Stivers, age 21, died of typhoid 
fever October 14, 1898. at Camp Cuba Libre; his remains 
were sent to Rensselaer for burial. 



442 



HISTORY OF THE 




Wallace D. Stivers, Company I. 



FRED SHROEDER. 



Private Fred Schroeder, age 22, died in the regimental 
hospital, at Camp Cuba Libre, of typhoid fever, October 
14, 1898; buried at Hammond, Indiana. 



'" CHARLES E. LEITER, COMPANY L. 

Private Charles E. Leiter, age 28, died of typhoid 
fever October 17, 1898, at Camp Cuba Libre. He was 
born atOilboa, Ohio, to which place the remains were sent. 



HENRY STILLE, COMPANY M. 

Private Henry Stille, born in July, 1878, at New Point, 
Indiana, died of typhoid fever October 17, 1898, at Camp 
Cuba Libre. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIKST INDIANA. 443 




Henry Stille, Company M. 




George Kepperling, Company I. 



444 



HISTORY OF THE 



GEORGE KEPPERLING, COMPANY I. 

Private George Kepperling, age 21, died of typhoid 
fever October 23, 1898, at Chalmsrs, Indiana, where he 
was at that time on sick furloug^h. 



DENVER BROWN, COMPANY F. 

Private Denver Brown, age 30. the color bearer, died 
of typhoid fever October 23, 1898, at Camp Cuba Libre. 




Denver Brown, Company F. 

He was born in West Manchester, Ohio, at which place 
the remains were buried. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTV-FIRST INDIANA. 



445 



" CLYDE C. GABLE, COMPANY H. 

Private Clyde C. Gable, age 21, died of typhoid fever 
at Fort McPherson, November 3, 1898. 



* FRANK M. GREEN, COMPANY D. 

Private Frank M. Green, age 24, died of typhoid fever 
November 3, 1898, in the Third Division hospital at Camp 
Cuba Libre, after the regiment had left for Savannah. His 
remains were sent to North Vernon, Indiana. 



WILLIAM G. WEAVER, COMPANY I. 

Private William G. Weaver, age 31, died of typhoid 
fever at Camp Onward, Savannah, November 7, 1898. He 




William G. Weaver, Company I. 

was born near Monticello, Indiana, and was buried in the 
cemetery near his home. Chaplain Biederwolf, who was at 
that time home, having charge of the funeral services. 



446 



HISTORY OF THE 



JOSEPH F. TURNER, COMPANY I. 

Private Joseph F. Turner, age 25, died of pneumonia 
November 30, 1S98, at Camp Onward. His remains were 
interred at Wheatfield, Indiana. 





Joseph F. Turner, Company I. 

(TAKEN THREE DAYS BEFORE DEATH. 



JACOB \V. DEXTER, COMPANY I. 

Private Jacob W. Dexter, age twenty-two, enlisted at 
Monticello, June 28, 1898. He was transferred to the hos- 
pital corps August 20, 1898, and by testimony of the chief 
surgeon was one of the most obedient and best nurses in 
the corps. Exposed to the smallpox while on duty, he 
stood at his post and cared for his comrades until the dread 
disease fastened upon him, and he died on January 17. 
He was buried in the United States military cemetery, side 
by side with his dead comrades. His grave is No. 16. 



ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST INDIANA. 



447 



H 

n 




n 



K 



o 
z 

O 

o 

> 
•z. 




448 



HISTORY OF THE 



CHARLES EVERSON, COMPANY K. 

Private Charles Everson, age twenty-nine, died of 
typhoid fever December 2, 1898, at Camp Onward, and 
his remains were sent to his home at Columbus, Indiana. 



CHARLES TRIMBLE, COMPANY F. 

Private Charles Trimble, age nineteen, died of typhoid 
fever at Camp Columbia, Cuba, January 18, 1899, and was 




Charles Trimble, Company F. 

buried in the United States military cemetery, near Playa 
de Marianao, Cuba. His grave is No. 17. 



ONE HUNI)RP:D and sixty-first INDIANA. 



449 



ALONZO M. GRAHAM, COMPANY D. 

Private Alonzo M. Graham, age twenty-six, born at 
Lancaster, Indiana, and died of smallpox January 24, 1899, 




Alonzo M. Graham, Company D. 

at Camp Columbia. His grave is No. 19 in the United 
Stales military cemetery, near Playa de Marianao. 



ANDREW GOULD, COMPANY M. 

Private Andrew Gould, born at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, 
and died of smallpox February 17, 1899, at Camp Colum- 
bia, Cuba. His grave is No. 26 in the United States mili- 
tary cemetery, near Playa de Marianao. 

29 



450 HISTORY OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIRST IND. 




Andrew Gould, Company M. 



* Photographs not obtainable. 



Mil nmocn 



:'>^'-\<>^ iMk\\.^' iM£\\.^' '' 








0/ -^ 







^^^ 
















^ - .<6 Q^ I 



- <* 



v^ 



.^" 



N^^ "^ 





cV^ 



9 y. 






V 



j^ /...,.. . ^^ 










•.^^ 



^<^ ^- 



N^ 










v^ 







v^^ 
















^^ -''"^^V^ 



%.^": 







v^ .^ 






' # 




<A 




















*-* 









"^ --^^0^ 












^ 
-^^ 



.^^ 




